Imagine taking the strong steel wires inside old car tires and turning them into tiny, high-strength needles for concrete. Instead of letting tires pile up in landfills, this process cleans and cuts the steel into precise lengths. These fibers act like a skeleton inside the concrete, making it much tougher and more flexible without needing as much new steel.
The construction industry relies on carbon-heavy virgin steel and faces a massive waste problem with millions of discarded tires. Current recycled options often lack the quality, cleanliness, and precise length needed for high-performance concrete.
A pre-industrial production line featuring an AI-based quality control system and automated software to produce clean, length-classified steel fibers.
If you are a contractor dealing with high carbon footprints in tunnel shotcrete — this project developed second-life steel fibers that reduce the 1.83 tons of CO2 typically emitted per ton of virgin steel. This allows for high-impact resistant concrete with a lower environmental footprint.
If you are a manufacturer dealing with the 'balling effect' of fibers in mixed concrete — this project developed a process to control fiber length and diameter (0.25 mm). This ensures better permeability and flexotraction in UHPC precast elements.
If you are a waste manager dealing with 3.7 million tons of discarded tires annually — this project developed a production process to extract high-quality steel fibers. This transforms a waste stream into a commercial product for the construction value chain.
Based on available project data, specific pricing is not provided, but the project emphasizes reducing the environmental cost of 1.83 tons of CO2 per ton of virgin steel.
Yes, the project has successfully completed the engineering design and setup of a pre-industrial line and optimized processing rates.
The company has developed a proprietary process to control fiber length and cleanliness; however, specific licensing terms are not detailed in the report.
The project implemented an AI-based system for quality control and automated control system production software to optimize the line.
The project period runs from 2023-03-01 to 2025-02-28, with market-ready prototypes already being tested in industrial facilities.
The consortium is highly streamlined and industry-focused, consisting of 2 SMEs from Spain. With a 100% industry ratio and no academic partners, the project is driven by commercial application and rapid deployment rather than theoretical research.
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