Concrete Perspectives July - August 2019

CONCRETE NEWS

VEEP project contributes to “Resources, Conservation and Recycling’’

VEEP project was mentioned in a case study: “Eco-efficiency assessment of technological innovations in high-grade concrete recycling” (available online from July 2019). Using field data collected from the C2CA, HISER and VEEP projects, the study presents an eco-efficiency assessment, from a practical perspective, to understand whether each step of the innovation generates environmental benefits and if so, at what financial cost. The findings of such an investigation are expected to shed light on the technological development of future concrete recycling and on the feasibility of a circular economy in the construction sector. Moreover, from a theoretical perspective, this case study on concrete recycling proposed a framework for LCA/LCC-type eco-efficiency assessment.

Recycled composites from wind turbine blades used for cement co-processing

A recently announced project by a group of European wind and chemical industry partners has been formed to advance recycling efforts for composite wind blades. The partnership includes WindEurope (Brussels, Belgium), the European Chemical Industry Council (CEFIC, Brussels, Belgium) and the European Composites Industry Association (EuCIA, Brussels, Belgium). An initiative to recycle wind turbine blades includes the use of recycled glass fiber composites for cement manufacturing, replacing raw material and saving energy. The members of CEFIC are supporting the efforts of promoting cement production as true recycling. One of the areas being explored is the use of recycled wind blade material as filler for cement in a process that is said to reduce the carbon dioxide output of the cement manufacturing process by up to 16%. Composite materials are being recycled today at commercial scale through cement co-processing, where the cement raw materials such as silica are being partially replaced by the glass fibres and fillers in the composite, while the organic fraction is burned in the process for energy, replacing coal. The wind blades can be broken down by the grinding equipment on location, so there is no need to ship entire blades to a recycling point. The process boasts the re-use of raw materials as well as energy recovery and reduction of CO₂. Currently the process is only suitable for glass reinforced composites, but the partnership is exploring a number of solutions for recycling aging wind turbines.

ICF presents 3D-concrete printing equipment to UCD

In August, representatives from the Irish Concrete Federation (ICF) and Cement Manufacturers Ireland (CMI) presented University College Dublin (UCD) with 3D-concrete printing technology for its Civil and Structural Engineering laboratory. The Concrete Development Group, which is comprised of the ICF and CMI, has also recently presented concrete testing laboratory equipment to Cork Institute of Technology, Trinity College Dublin and Technological University of Dublin in order to ensure that engineering students gain direct ‘hands on’ experience of using advanced testing equipment. 3D concrete printing is now being explored for use in the construction of houses, bridges, buildings and even wind turbine towers.

BIBM NEWS

Public consultation and feedback

Industrial emissions – evaluating the EU rules

BIBM responds to the public consultation on the evaluation of the Industrial Emissions Directive 2010/75/EU (IED). This evaluation will assess how the EU rules are working and whether they benefit the public and industry. The roadmap of the evaluation process can be found here.

EU taxonomy for sustainable activities

BIBM provides feedback on TEG report on EU Taxonomy. Stakeholders are invited to provide feedback until 13 September 2019 on the proposed climate change mitigation activities, climate change adaptation principles and criteria, usability of the proposed taxonomy and future development of the taxonomy.

Heidelberg Cement Lixhe Plant visit, Belgium

On Friday, August 23, the BIBM team joined Cembureau in visiting the CBR Lixhe plant of HeidelbergCement in Belgium. The trip included a plant visit and an interesting presentation of the Lixhe Plant, Health & Safety in cement industry and LEILAC* project. It was an opportunity to learn and exchange ideas and experiences with Benoit Gastout (Lixhe Plant Manager) and Rob van der Meer (Director Public Affairs of HeidelbergCement). It also helped our new team members in understanding various issues related to cement industry.

*LEILAC (Low Emissions Intensity Lime and Cement) will pilot a breakthrough technology that has the potential to enable both Europe’s cement and lime industries to reduce their emissions dramatically while retaining, or even increasing international competitiveness. The EU-funded project, in which HeidelbergCement is one of the main strategic partners, aims to demonstrate the feasibility of a process technology for the capture of CO2 released during the heating of raw material in its purest form. The best available technologies for cement and lime have no carbon capture capability. The international and EU community recognizes that CO2 emissions contribute to climate change, and the most practical approach to reducing such emissions to-date for the cement and lime industries has been to increase kiln efficiencies and utilize alternative fuels.

New BIBM Colleague

Magdalena Herbik joined BIBM in July 2019 as Public Affairs and Communication Officer, replacing Arianna De Angelis. Magdalena (Poland, born 1986) graduated from International Relations and Sociocultural Animation in Poland, completing part of her studies abroad i.a. at the National Chung Hsing University in Taiwan (IR, BSc) and at Işık University in Turkey (IR, MSc). She also studied Mandarin at Beijing Normal University in China (Confucius Institute Scholarship Programme). Prior to BIBM, she worked in a consultancy firm, an EU institution (European Parliament), an NGO and a private language school. Magdalena is a native Polish speaker. In addition, she speaks English and is proficient in German and Mandarin Chinese. Her contact details: e-mail: mh@bibm.eu, phone: +32 475 20 1346.

BIBM Congress – One year ahead

**You can find more information on the 2020 BIBM Congress** **here**.

We confide in your help to raise awareness within your clients and stakeholders, through organising “national” visits, providing possible exhibitors and sharing the available promotional material.

UPDATES:

Finalisation of program: end of summer 2019
Early bird tickets for exhibitors’ registration CLOSED
Opening of the registration for participants: end of summer 2019

BIBM SEPTEMBER – NOVEMBER AGENDA

September	October	November
5: European High-Level Conference on Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) Oslo, Norway	9: Construction Products Europe TF Implementation of the CPR Brussels	12: BIBM Board Meeting Dublin, Ireland
9: European Concrete Platform Task Force Health, Environment and hygiene Confcall	14-15: BIBM Directors Meeting CERIB (France)	14: Seramco Annual Conference Nancy, France
9: BIBM Board Confcall	14-16: VEEP General Assembly Madrid (Spain)	20: Construction Products Europe Extraordinary General Assembly Brussels
10-11: BIBM Product Group Wastewater Engineering Starka Betongindustrier, Malmö (Sweden)	18: CEN/TC 229 WG4 – Editorial panel Common Rules Brussels	21: European Concrete Platform Task Force Fire & Eurocodes Brussels
10-11: BIBM Product Group Wastewater Engineering Starka Betongindustrier, Malmö (Sweden)	22-24: RE4 General Assembly and Workshop Bari (Italy)	27: European Concrete Platform Board Meeting Brussels
17: BIBM Communication Commission Confcall	23: BIBM Environment Commission Brussels
24: BIBM Working Group Eurocode 2 Brussels	29: CEN event on circular economy Materials – Value chains for circular economy: metal, wood, plastic and concrete Brussels
25: CEN/TC 229 WG4 – Editorial panel Common Rules Brussels
26: CEN/TC 229 WG1 – Harmonisation issues Brussels
26: Eco Labelling hard floor workshop Brussels

BIBM PARTNERS NEWS

Fire Safe Europe: 37 newly elected MEPs have pledged to help improve fire safety in buildings

37 newly elected MEPs from 21 countries have pledged to work to improve fire safety in buildings in this new European Parliamentary term. The #Together4FireSafety campaign (launched in the European Parliament this February) called for candidates to act together with the construction industry, architects, fire safety engineers, firefighters, building owners, and citizens to improve fire safety in buildings for people. 37 of the candidates (out of 93) who pledged have been elected for this European Parliamentary term and will have the opportunity to significantly improve fire safety in buildings.

Juliette Albiac, Managing Director of Fire Safe Europe, said: “We thank all the candidates who pledged to improve fire safety for their support and congratulate the new MEPs on being elected. We look forward to working with them in this Parliamentary term to significantly improve fire safety in buildings for people and communities across the EU.”

Every day in Europe, 11 people die in fires, and 190 people are hospitalised. Losses caused by fire are estimated at 1% of global GDP per year, and fires have an environmental impact with air, soil, and water pollution. See all the candidates who signed the #Together4FireSafety pledge at www.firesafeeurope.eu.

RE4: Updates from Acciona demo park, Madrid

The construction of the reference building at Acciona demo park has already started. The precast concrete elements and the timber-based facade panel are already on the RE4 demo site in Spain. The reference building will not only test the assembling and dismantling process of the RE4 mock-up, but will also be used to compare a conventional demolition to the RE4 one. The building will also serve the energy-efficiency monitoring purposes.

RE4 project aims to promote new technological solutions and strategies for the development of prefabricated elements with high degree of recycled materials and reused structures from demolished buildings. The main aim of the project is to develop energy efficient building produced from CDW, thus minimize environmental impacts in construction industry.

LIVE FROM THE EUROPEAN UNION

EU top jobs: winners

After long and difficult negotiations, the European leaders have come to an agreement on the five top jobs in the European Union:

President of the European Commission is Ursula von der Leyen (EPP, Germany),
President of the European Parliament is David Sassoli (S&D, Italy),
President of the European Council is Charles Michel (Renew Europe, Belgium),
President of the European Central Bank is Christine Lagarde (EPP, France),
(nominated) High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy is Joseph Borell (S&D, Spain).

Ursula von der Leyen urges ‘green deal’ for a more united EU

The European Parliament confirmed Ursula von der Leyen as the first women president of the European Commission in a nail-biting vote on Tuesday (July 16) that put climate change centre stage. Prior to the vote, von der Leyen made a series of promises to attract the support of parliament members from across the political spectrum. Speaking in parliament on Tuesday, she said that she wanted Europe to be the first “climate-neutral continent” in the world, proposing a new “green deal” to make the EU carbon neutral by 2050. She highlighted that environmental protection is “our most urgent task”, promising to “reduce CO2 emissions by 2030 by 50, if not 55”. To finance the ‘green’ transition, von der Leyen is proposing to convert parts of the European Investment Bank (EIB) into a climate bank to unlock €1 trillion of investment over the next decade. She also wants to introduce a carbon border tariff to ensure that companies can compete on equal terms, without them moving to other EU countries to escape carbon costs.

European Union presents its progress towards sustainable development goals

On July 18, at the United Nations High-Level Political Forum for Sustainable Development in New York, the EU reaffirmed its strong commitment to deliver on the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development – a shared global roadmap for a peaceful and prosperous world, with human well-being on a healthy planet at its core. A dedicated event hosted by the European Union and the Finnish Presidency assessed the progress made in implementing the Agenda 2030’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) within Europe and through the EU’s international cooperation. The European Union has already embarked on a transition towards a low-carbon economy that is climate neutral, resource-efficient and circular – while ensuring social equality and inclusiveness. The EU has also put the SDGs at the heart of its external action and has aligned all development activities with UN 2030 Agenda through its new European Consensus on Development. However, many sustainability challenges have become increasingly pressing, and new ones have emerged, putting human well-being, economic prosperity and environment at risk. To accelerate the achievement of the ambitious and interlinked SDGs, the EU highlights its commitment to systematically review the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and follow-up respectively.