Growing interest in green buildings and circular economies is encouraging the consumption of high-grade secondary raw materials in the building sector. In particular there is clear consensus that compulsory material inventories of EoL buildings materials and subsequent selection of waste materials at source constitute key actions to guarantee high purity and quality C&DW recycled resources. In this context the main objective of VEEP is to develop and demonstrate a series of technological solutions for the massive retrofitting of our built environment, aiming at cost – effectively reducing building energy consumption.
It leads to higher resource efficiency in 2 novel multilayer Precast Concrete Elements (PCEs) through the combination of concrete and superinsulation material manufactured by using, at least, 75% (by weight) of C&DW recycled materials, as raw materials.
The 2 PCEs solutions will be conceived both for new building envelope and for building refurbishment.
Ambition The ambition of the VEEP project relates to different aspects, both to the technological & new processes development and to new materials & products development as described in the following.
Technological development.
VEEP aims at developing the following advanced recycling technologies:
1) Advanced Drying Recovery (ADR) redesigned for modular construction and efficient onsite transportability and light weight (LW) concrete recycling;
2) Innovative mobile Heating-Air classification System (HAS) Pilot Plant (3ton/hour);
3) Combined ADR + HAS technology for simultaneous production of recycled concrete particles;
4) Ultra-fine wet grinding and health-safety refining technology.
Materials development.
VEEP aims to enable the incorporation of higher levels of C&DW inorganic recycled materials in new concrete. Today’s most sustainable buildings are the result of partial or total replacement of natural aggregates or clinker with recycled aggregates and cementitious supplementary materials. Less than 5% of recycled concrete aggregates are currently used in new concrete manufacturing. Still replacement levels are typically limited to 20% to 30% of the coarse fraction of the recycled NW concrete aggregate. The use of ADR technology can lead to higher quality coarse recycled concrete aggregates and higher omprehensive strength up to 100% of the virgin coarse aggregate (50% of the total concrete weight) can be replaced by coarse recycled concrete aggregate without detrimental effect.
VEEP aims to develop, optimize and validate the following concrete containing diverse C&DW recycled fractions, under pilot manufacturing process and pilot execution conditions:
1) new green NW concrete containing at least 75% C&DW recycled materials
2) new green LW concrete recipes containing at least 75% of C&DW recycled materials.
VEEP will also develop, optimize and validate new aerogel composites formulations by incorporating at least 80% (by weight) silica containing C&DW recycled material guaranteeing 40% reduction in energy consumption and costs (respect to existing solutions)
Manufacturing development
VEEP aims to integrate 3 manufacturing steps into an interconnected flexible pilot plant aiming to produce cost-effective sustainable aerogel composites guaranteeing thermal conductivities of 0.015 W/mK & reduction in energy consumption and consequent cost
VEEP foresees also the introduction of plastic elements that will embedded into PCEs solutions.
By combining in fact hybrid traditional and 3D printing technology VEEP will create plastic sides and shuttering pieces for the horizontal formworks.
The introduction of plastic elements in the formworks preparation will contribute to increase 15% productivity a day.Those plastic pieces will be used also to produce matrixes for textures
Product development
Two novel cost-effective energy efficient precast concrete panel solutions containing high level (>75% by weight) of C&DW recycled materials will be developed through the smart combination of concrete, cost-effective aerogel and plastic sides and shuttering pieces.
The 2 PCEs solutions will be conceived both for
new building envelope and for
building refurbishment.