Dutch develop DRAINMIX®
When it comes to incinerator bottom ash (IBA) and the research into new areas of application, REMEX’s Dutch subsidiary > HEROS Sluiskil B.V. is at the forefront of developments. The company has already been successfully producing concrete aggregate from IBA for several years. The latest research project involves the development of a new construction material based on processed ash for use as drainage material.
At Delft Technical University, a trial field has been set up on the "WaterStraat" site to test whether specially treated, washed IBA ash can be used as foundation and drainage material, e.g. for sports grounds, car parks or hiking trails. The test field with the material known as > DRAINMIX® was made possible by a cooperation between the waste management company SUEZ, Kyoto Boost and HEROS Sluiskil. The trial site is part of the initiative "The Green Village" of the Technical University of Delft, which aims to "accelerate the development and implementation of radical innovations for a sustainable future".
The secondary construction material developed for the Dutch market is similar to a normal mixture of gravel and sand. Due to the special particle size distribution, it has an open structure, which allows water to drain away quickly. Excess water can be collected in a basin to be used later, for example, for the irrigation of artificial turf pitches. A first success: The municipality of Amsterdam has already built an artificial turf pitch with DrainMix® as the subsoil.
For further questions about the project, please contact our colleagues at HEROS Sluiskil B.V.: > heros.nl
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REMEX participates in NEWSand initiative in Singapore
Under the name NEWSand, processed incinerator bottom ash is to be used as a future substitute for sand and gravel in Singapore. The National Environment Agency (NEA) has commissioned field trials in which the Singapore subsidiary of REMEX is also involved.
As part of the contract, > REMEX Minerals Singapore Pte. Ltd. will initially supply around 500 m3 of washed ash for a stretch of the Tanah Merah Coast Road construction. A further 20 m3 will be used to manufacture concrete products in Singapore. The requirements for the material are extremely high, and the pollutant limits to be observed are much stricter than in German or European regulations because Singapore has a water catchment area spanning two thirds of its land surface. Therefore, the use of processed ash must be possible without environmental constraints.
The ash used for the field tests comes from the REMEX plant in Singapore, which was opened in 2015 by the Minister for the Environment and Water Resources, Masagos Zulkifli. Around 550,000 tonnes of raw bottom ash, which are produced in Singapore’s five municipal waste incineration plants, are currently processed each year on the site, which covers just 1.4 hectares in the Tuas district of Singapore. The ferrous metals contained in the ash and the valuable non-ferrous metals
such as aluminium and copper are already being recycled. The remaining largest material flow, the mineral fraction, is currently being landfilled. However, this is set to change soon.
With the initiative now launched, the Ministry of the Environment is hoping for increased innovation from companies. REMEX will use the technologies of its Dutch subsidiary HEROS Sluiskil B.V. in connection with the NEWSand project. The ash from Singapore will be subject to additional treatment in the Netherlands before being used in the field trials in Singapore.
According to plans of the Ministry of the Environment, NEWSand from household waste incineration ash should enable unrestricted recycling as a construction material. This would support the government’s goal of landfilling 30% less annual waste from 2030, extending the filling phase of Singapore’s only landfill site - Semakau Island - beyond 2035.
Further links:
> Waste construction material NEWSand trial road
> Singapore needs to relook the way it uses resources
> Smart technology key to zero waste economy
> Singapore aims to send one third less waste to Semakau Landfill by 2030
> Parliament turning Pulau Semakau into a treasure island possible through new recycling
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REMEX convinces in France: Major IBA management contract
Since autumn 2019, REMEX has been managing the incinerator bottom ash (IBA) from the 3rd biggest Waste-to-Energy plant in France, Issy les Moulineaux in Paris. The contract with > URBASER ENVIRONNEMENT SAS was signed last year and will run for eight years.
Michael Stoll, Managing Director of REMEX Mineralstoff GmbH, is pleased with the results of the first six months: "The successful start at Issy les Moulineaux is groundbreaking for our ambitions in France. It has established REMEX as a serious cooperation partner for mineral waste management on the French market. And it shows that our expertise and investments in IBA recycling technologies are paying off, especially in international negotiations".
URBASER won > SYCTOM's public tender for the operation of the Issy les Moulineaux waste incineration plant in June last year. The plant has an annual capacity of around 500,000 tonnes of municipal waste from Paris and surrounding suburbs. Up to 85,000 tonnes of bottom ash remain after incineration. REMEX will be handling the major part of this material flow until the year 2027.
Already during the tender phase, REMEX played a strong role at the side of URBASER, which was eager to present an innovative and sustainable solution for the recovery of bottom ash. Together they proposed to treat the material at HEROS Sluiskil B.V., the Dutch subsidiary of REMEX, which operates one of the largest and most modern slag processing plants in Europe. With this concept, URBASER prevailed over the usual French competitors.
Since starting the contract in September 2019, the material is being transported by ship to Sluiskil and subsequently processed. The application of > recycling technologies such as MERIT® and hydro-mechanical treatment enable the full mineral recycling of IBA as secondary aggregate e.g. for road works, asphalt or concrete. The ferrous and non-ferrous metals recovered during processing are directly sold to smelting companies.
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Every two years, the National Environment Agency of Singapore organises the > CleanEnviro Summit Singapore (CESG). This year, the event themed ‘Towards Sustainable
and Climate-Resilient Cities’ will be held from
5 – 9 July 2020
at the Sands Expo & Convention Centre
in Marina Bay Sands
As in previous years, > REMEX Singapore Pte. Ltd. will take part with its own booth. Please contact our Singapore office to plan your visit and make appointments under > +65 670494-90. Alternatively, send an email to > info-singapore@remex.sg.
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