Waste management company Viridor has announced that it has partnered with Carbon8 Aggregates Ltd to recycle air pollution control residue (APCr) from its energy recovery facilities (ERFs) into building blocks (pictured).
APCr is a hazardous by-product of the filtering process that cleans exhaust gases from incineration plants. The material has historically been sent to licensed landfill sites, but, under the new 10-year contract, approximately 25,000 tonnes of APCrs produced from Viridor’s ERFs in Exeter, Cardiff, Ardley and Peterborough will be removed, treated and recycled into a ‘sustainable, carbon negative aggregate’ every year.
Viridor has said it hopes the contract, which includes an option for a five-year extension at the discretion of those involved, will help the incinerators become fully ‘zero waste to landfill’.
Process details
Carbon8 Aggregates’ process involves treating the waste with carbon dioxide (CO2), which reacts with the lime content of the APCr to form a carbonated compound similar to limestone. This chemically immobilises the heavy metals present in the APCr. The treated residue is then mixed with various binders and fillers prior to being pelletised with more CO2 to form a lightweight aggregate material ranging in size from two to 20 millimetres. This can then be used in the same way as virgin aggregates, for example, for use in the production of building blocks.
According to Carbon8, the quantity of CO2 captured in the process is greater than the embodied CO2 (including that produced from the production process and transport), thus making the aggregate ‘carbon negative’.
Carbon8 has said it will be constructing a new APCr facility in Avonmouth to support this 10-year contract, which is expected to be operational ‘by the end of the year’. The company also has plans to build a further three plants by December 2016.
‘A genuine zero waste to landfill option’
Stuart Sim, Viridor’s Energy-from-Waste Director, commented earlier today (22 June): “We’re excited to be amongst the leaders within the industry making this happen. We’re committed to giving the world’s resources new life, and seeing our residues recycled and become carbon-negative products within the construction industry really demonstrates clear progress on resource efficiency in this important and growing part of our sector.”
Richard Skehens, Chairman of Carbon8 Aggregates and former Chief Executive Officer of Grundon Waste Management – a principal investor in Carbon8 Aggregates – commented: “We are delighted to have been awarded the contract with Viridor. The investment by Grundon into the Carbon8 Aggregates business recognised the huge potential for recycling APCr into aggregate, thereby providing a genuine zero waste to landfill option. This contract asserts Carbon8’s position as the market leader in APCr recycling.”
Find out more about Carbon8 Aggregates.
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