With the focus on the metropolitan areas of Ghent, Rotterdam and Northern France, by-products such as metallic slags and incineration ashes are used as alternative starting materials for the production of concrete. Replacing primary raw materials with by-products could save an estimated 84 million tonnes of mineral building materials per year.
URBCON
The objective of the URBCON project is to reduce the consumption of primary raw materials and CO₂ emissions resulting from the construction and maintenance of buildings and infrastructure in urban areas. The project focuses on concrete as a building material.
Background and goals of the research project
The main objectives are:
- Development of concretes with 100% by-products (aggregate) as well as with clinker-efficient cements
- Networking of by-product providers and construction industry by means of a web-based platform for forecasting availability and considering the logistical chains underlying the construction demand;
- Testing of the concretes developed in the project (URBCON concretes) on the basis of three original scale pilot projects (including a pedestrian bridge);
- Preparation of a Strategic Technology Transfer Plan: proposals for policy frameworks, life cycle assessments, pre-normative work, economic feasibility studies
Project partners
Sponsors
The URBCON project is funded by the Interreg North-West Europe Programme under the EU Cohesion Policy and financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).
