Background and aims of the project
Over 500 kg of municipal waste per capita were generated in the EU in 2020. At the same time, only 45% of this waste was recycled on average. Key factors for cities that want to foster their circular economy are the proximity of resources and people, development opportunities for effective markets and a scope of action for urban planning and policy.
The EU-funded project REDOL aims to develop a concept for a zero residues city by 2040 for the city of Zaragoza, the capital of the autonomous community of Aragon in Spain. The focus is on the design of five value chains for solid urban waste (packaging, plastics, construction and demolition waste (CDW), textiles and waste of electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE)). The objective is to upgrade technologies and management systems for the collec-tion, sorting and classification of solid urban waste and to develop possible recycling routes. Landfilling should be avoided in the future. REDOL will enable the implementation of cutting-edge digital tools in Zaragoza, increase and optimisation of value chains and the enhance-ment of the interaction between key players.
As one of 35 partners from 12 European countries, VDZ is mainly dealing with the usability of recycled CDW for the construction and cement industry. Depending on a pre-analysis and characterisation of the CDW-fractions "concrete", "mortar" and "bricks", the following possible usage is considered:
- Raw material for clinker burning process
- Cement main constituent acc. to upcoming standard EN 197-6
- Recycled aggregates for concrete production
VDZ will use the following test methods, depending on the fractions provided in the research project and their characteristics:
- Testing fresh, hardened and durability properties of mortars and concretes
- Assess results with respect to European standards
- Formulate the best way of integrating CDW in cement and concrete industry
Further information also available at: https://www.redolproject.eu
