Imagine taking things like old diapers, steel mill leftovers, and industrial sludge and turning them into strong bricks or road bases. Instead of burying this trash in the ground, it's cleaned and upgraded to be just as good as brand new stone or sand. It's like giving industrial waste a second life as the foundation of our cities.
The construction industry relies on a linear 'take-make-dispose' model, leading to 35% of EU waste streams and high carbon emissions. There is a lack of high-quality, standardized secondary raw materials to replace virgin resources.
Three upcycling demonstration systems: one for lithium aluminosilicate residue, one for urban cellulose waste using AI, and one for steelmaking slag using carbon capture.
If you are a contractor dealing with high costs for virgin aggregates — this project developed ways to use lithium aluminosilicate residue (LAR) that creates strong, long-lasting road bases and backfill. This reduces the need for new raw materials while maintaining quality standards.
If you are a waste manager dealing with massive amounts of diapers and wastewater sludge — this project developed an AI-powered process to recover cellulose fibres. These fibres are cleaned and reused in bio-based construction materials, reducing landfill use and emissions.
If you are a steel producer dealing with slag waste — this project developed a method to turn that slag into precipitated calcium carbonate (PCC). This captures carbon dioxide and replaces the need for virgin limestone in ceramics and construction.
Based on available project data, specific pricing or cost-per-ton for the secondary raw materials is not provided.
Yes, the project uses three demonstration case studies across Europe to prove that waste streams from process industries can be transformed into high-quality materials for the construction sector.
Based on available project data, specific licensing terms are not mentioned, but the project focuses on standardization and business models for market implementation.
The project works with standardization actors to ensure that secondary raw materials meet the same quality standards as virgin resources.
The project period runs from 2024-01-01 to 2027-12-31, suggesting commercial readiness targets toward the end of 2027.
The consortium is heavily industry-driven, with 14 industrial partners (74% of the group) and 4 SMEs. This high ratio of commercial players from 7 different European countries suggests a strong focus on market uptake and practical application rather than purely academic research.
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