‘Urban mining’ to promote circularity
Our ACTIVE8 Planet challenge aims to promote circularity in the construction industry through the use of ‘urban mining’ techniques.
Urban mining refers to the process of extracting valuable materials from the waste streams and infrastructure of urban areas. This can include recycling and reclaiming materials from buildings, roads, and other structures, as well as extracting resources from discarded electronic devices and other forms of waste. The goal of urban mining is to reduce the demand for newly extracted raw materials and to minimize the environmental impact of resource extraction, processing, and waste disposal. Urban mining can help to reduce the environmental footprint of cities, as well as provide economic benefits by recovering valuable materials that would otherwise be lost.
We began our exploration of the concept urban mining in the construction industry through a series of visits, masterclasses, and some desk research.
On November 30th, we were invited to Kerkrade by the industry professionals in our team, where we had the opportunity to see first-hand how materials from demolished buildings were being reused to construct new buildings. The research team there developed a method for recycling old concrete into new bricks, which has been used to construct a number of houses. The project team is particularly proud of this innovative approach to resource recovery.
Four other houses were even entirely built using materials reclaimed from the demolition of old apartment buildings on the other side of the street.
In the afternoon, we attended a series of masterclasses, featuring experts from various regions around Europe, all of whom shared a common goal of implementing circular methodologies in their respective fields.
On the second day, December 1st, we ventured to Hasselt, Belgium, where we were granted access to an historic justice court that is soon to be decommissioned. In conjunction with the project developer, we will do an analysis of the material flow of the building, specifically evaluating the potential for recovery and reuse or repurposing of the materials. This entails identifying the materials that could be salvaged, as well as evaluating the value and potential applications of these materials for other construction projects or manufacturers.
Our first conclusions are:
- Urban mining prevents lots of valuable materials to get lost as waste
- At present, the application of urban mining in the construction industry is not yet economically viable
- There are concerns related to the safety and efficacy of materials obtained through urban mining that need to be addressed. For example, it is unclear if all materials need to be tested or if a sample group would suffice. In any case, it is crucial to ensure the materials obtained through urban mining are safe for reuse.
Despite the challenges associated with the implementation, urban mining presents a promising and ecologically-sound solution for the construction industry. As such, further research is necessary to improve the efficiency, cost-effectiveness and safety of the urban mining process.
With Evy Puelinckx, an acknowledged pioneer and expert in the topic of urban mining, as our servant leader, team Belgium is committed to working towards more environmentally responsible construction practices.
