Holcim has produced clinker made entirely of recycled materials at its factory in Altkirch, France, demonstrating an important step in circular construction.
The clinker was developed at Altkirch during a trial conducted by global research and development centre based in Isle d’Abeau.
Producing clinker from 100 per cent recycled materials involved finding the appropriate waste streams and designing the best physical configuration to reorganise clinker production.
Therefore, the Altkirch trial used alternative raw materials, ranging from wood ash to mineral processing waste, largely from local sources.
The recycled clinker is fully compliant with European standards and will be used to produce 100 per cent recycled cement.
Combining recycled cement production with recycled water, recycled reinforcements, and other recycled components, will enable 100 per cent recycled concrete to be produced.
Holcim aims to achieve this by the third quarter of 2022.
“This breakthrough shows what is possible when you combine Holcim’s unique expertise in recycling with its leading position in cement production,” Holcim Innovation Center director Edelio Bermejo said.
“Developing 100 per cent recycled clinker takes us one step further in our quest for circular construction to decarbonise the built environment.”
Holcim is accelerating its contribution to circular construction as part of its net-zero journey to decarbonise the built environment.
To support this, Holcim recycled 54 million tons of materials across its global operations in 2021 and plans to double that rate to 100 million tons by 2030.
To build new from old, Holcim is stepping up the recycling of construction and demolition waste into new building materials, with the goal of reaching 10 million tons by 2025.
In 2021, the company recycled 6.6 million tons of construction waste and demolition material.