Valdeau'Mat was founded by brothers Steeve and Benjamin Vandeginste in their bid to tackle the growing problem of construction waste while optimising their main public works businesses by reducing the reliance on material supply, all driven by the desire to transform this waste into valuable resources for construction projects in the Lille region.
In the Lille region, recycling, construction and demolition is still largely treated through dry processing, meaning material can only be used for secondary applications or is sent to landfill. Valdeau'Mat is committed to sustainable development, zero waste and cular economy, and so decided to invest in CDE's waste recycling technology.
CDE and Valdeau'Mat first met back in 2021, with this being CDE's first project in the Lille region, and Valdeau'Mat's first venture in waste recycling. After visiting one of CDE's waste recycling plants in Cessy in eastern France, Valdeau'Mat believed in the solution and saw first-hand how they could utilise this technology to achieve their mission in transforming waste, reducing landfill and creating high-quality reusable materials.
Commenting on the decision to work with CDE, Benjamin Vandeginste, CEO of Valdeau'Mat said: "The creation of Valdeau'Mat is the fruit of our shared vision of a sustainable future. Investing in CDE technologies is a decisive step forward for the sector and the region. We are determined to show that change is not only possible, but also profitable.
"We want to make our company, and the wider industry, more sustainable whilst also investing in the future. We can see the opportunities that waste recycling technology has for our business and the local construction market in contributing to a circular economy and working towards zero waste targets."
A robust solution
The 200 tonnes per hour (tph) facility, commissioned in March this year, already exceeds expectations less than a year after starting operations. The platform is expected to recycle up to 400,000 tonnes of materials per year, 25% more than the 320,000 tonnes initially anticipated.
CDE's versatile solution incorporates its R4500 feeding and primary system, AggMax logwasher to scrub and classify aggregate fractions, EvoWash sand wash system and AquaCycle thickener primary stage water management combined with a filter press to recover up to 95% of the process water and recycle it back into the system.
As well as these innovative technologies to manage the plant's performance, the plant has also been designed and engineered with versatility at its core.
The CDE team designed the plant not only to allow the incorporation of additional washing and classification technologies, to produce more fractions and more advanced specifications enabling to diversify applications, but also to increase production capacity.
Originally designed to enable the Vandeginste brothers' public works companies to be self-sufficient, the platform already produces enough recycled materials to meet internal needs, with the remainder now sold to external companies, with former suppliers now becoming customers.
Thibault Vandecaveye, Business Development Manager France, Belgium, Luxembourg and Switzerland for CDE commented: "We designed this plant with evolution in mind. With the demand for recycled aggregates in the early stages in the region, we created a solution that will allow Valdeau'Mat to double capacity and process up to 800,000 tonnes of material a year.
"We understood the vision of the Vandeginste brothers in becoming a pioneer of sustainability in the industry, so we built a solution that goes hand-in-hand with this ambition."
The plant is also equipped to process challenging material. In the region, the material that the plant will process is generally very fine and may include clay or sticky materials. In particular, given the ancient ocean floors, there may be silty sand in the soil.
CDE designed the solution that could handle the clay bound excavated material, so that Valdeau'Mat could process, and ultimately recycle, materials that would have previously been sent to landfill.
Designed for plant optimisation
CDE's SmartTech and OptiMax technologies are designed to give plant operators more intelligence and data to optimise their operations. The plant management app enables Valdeau'Mat to better understand the plant's performance, schedule any requirement maintenance and order any necessary parts which in turn boosts productivity, improves operational efficiency and maximises uptime.
The sensors on the plant provide around the clock performance data such as flow rates, water and energy usage and the amount of uptime, so that operators can analyse plant health easily and plan preventative maintenance to avoid downtime.
Built to allow for sustainable development
The plant is inside a building at Valdeau'Mat's site in La Chapelle-d'Armentières which is fully equipped with solar panels and an underground reservoir for water storage, affirming the sustainability commitments of the business, and also allows the plant to operate more efficiently during periods of adverse weather, particularly in the winter months.
By reducing water and energy consumption, the CDE recycling solution supports Valdeau'Mat in its emission reduction and zero waste objectives, promoting the circular economy in the Lille region.
This state-of-the-art plant is resulting in Valdeau'Mat producing three aggregates; 4-8mm, 8-20mm and 20-80mm, as well as two sands; 0-2mm and 0-4mm.
These products were set to be mainly used in the company's own utility excavation projects in the local area but having exceeded the quantity that the firm needs, they are now also able to supply local construction companies.
Valdeau'Mat co-director Steeve Vandeginste says that the plant's versatility is allowing them to look to the future.
"We're already looking at how we can do more with this innovative plant, and how we can evolve and contribute even more to our circular economy. We want to be able to adapt to the demands of our business and customers and having a plant designed with these changing conditions in mind will allow us to better serve the local market in the long run.
"We're the first to be able to offer an alternative treatment for construction waste in the Lille European Metropolis, and in doing so we're reducing not just our own ecological footprint, but in the local construction market too.
"We chose to partner with CDE because we are likeminded in having sustainability at the heart of our decision making. Our relationship has grown strong in our time working together, and we look forward to continuing this partnership."
Thibault Vandecaveye added: "This plant is allowing Valdeau'Mat to revolutionise recycling in the Lille region and transform inert mineral waste into sustainable resources to meet the needs of their customers and the business.
"We offered a proven approach when designing this plant, and both of us were able to learn from each other, to create a plant best suited to the wants and needs of the Valdeau'Mat team.
"With over 30 years of expertise, we are committed to delivering a flexible solution to our customers, putting sustainability at the centre of what we do."
CDE will be attending bauma in München, Germany from 7th to 13th April 2025 to showcase its advanced wet processing solutions that transform mineral waste into value for recycling and quarrying applications. For more information please visit cdegroup.com/bauma.
