Clinker is the primary manufactured component of cement, so making it from recycled material is a key breakthrough in driving circular construction. The recycled clinker is fully compliant with European standards and will be used to produce 100% recycled cement. By mixing the 100% recycled cement with recycled water, recycled rebar and other recycled components, 100% recycled concrete is scheduled for delivery in the third quarter of 2022.
Edelio Bermejo, head of Holcim's Innovation Center, said: "This breakthrough shows what is possible when you combine Holcim's unique expertise in recycling with its leadership in cement production. Developing 100% recycled clinker is taking us one step further in our quest to drive circular construction to decarbonise the built environment."
Producing clinker from 100% recycled material involved a combination of sourcing the right waste streams and designing the best physical layout to re-engineer clinker production. The breakthrough trial in Altkirch used alternative raw materials, ranging from wood ash to waste from mineral processing, largely from local sources.
The work was driven by Holcim's industry-leading Research and Development Center in Lyon, France, where the company employs over 210 researchers. The Center works in close collaboration with six regional innovation hubs, from Mumbai to Montreal, as well as a network of over 20 technical centres worldwide. Holcim's experts cut across all fields of building, from advanced engineering and material science to artificial intelligence and data mining, all the way to masons.
As a world leader in recycling, Holcim is driving circular construction as part of its net zero journey to decarbonise the built environment. In 2021, Holcim recycled 54 million tons of materials across its business, and it is doubling down on this rate to reach 100 million tons by 2030. To build new from the old, Holcim is scaling up to recycle construction & demolition waste into new building materials with the objective to reach 10 million tons by 2025. In 2021, the company recycled 6.6 million tons of construction & demolition waste. In Switzerland, Holcim launched the world's first green cement with 20% recycled construction & demolition waste within its ECOPlanet range.
