Secondary aggregate materials in sustainable, urban, civil engineering infrastructure

Purpose and goal

The goal is to increase the utilization of a number of waste materials as a replacement for crushed rock aggregates in urban construction infrastructure, such as squares, parking lots, bike lanes and streets. Due to urbanization, the need for materials is huge. Confidence in residual materials must, however, be greatly improved. The project adopts a systemic perspective by analyzing and influencing organization, regulations, business models and a number of sustainability factors. We primarily look at incinerator ashes, crushed concrete and crushed asphalt.

Expected effects and result

We expect to deliver dimensioning support for trafficked constructions from different waste materials through demos and full-scale tests. We intend to map the environmental impact of these materials and compare that to traditional virgin resources, develop performance based methods for verification of material and product properties, create recommendations for updating regulations, etc. These activities will generate trust in the use of the residual materials and thus an increased utilization, reduced climate impact and less heavy transports in the city

Planned approach and implementation

The project is the last step in a three-stage system. The consortium is adapted and more implementation-oriented with an increased focus on completing started deliverables and recommendations. Additional field tests are set up, more materials are analyzed for more robust solutions. The communication plan is more elaborated. We will, e.g. deliver training to environmental officers for more efficient permit and lisence matters, decision support for public procurers (e.g. for more sustainable procurement), dimensioning support for contractors and planners.