Electro-fragmentation offers new recycling solution for fibre-reinforced concrete

A pan-European research project is investigating the use of electro-fragmentation to help recycle fibre-reinforced concrete (FRC). Increasingly used in civil applications such as tunnels and bridge decks, FRC can be challenging to recycle because of the difficulty in separating the tiny fibres from the concrete material. “Most of the research into FRC is about the formulation or the application of the material,” said Kathy Bru, a process engineer at research organisation BRGM. “We are looking ahead 20 or 3
July 12, 2018 Read time: 2 mins
A pan-European research project is investigating the use of electro-fragmentation to help recycle fibre-reinforced concrete (FRC).


Increasingly used in civil applications such as tunnels and bridge decks, FRC can be challenging to recycle because of the difficulty in separating the tiny fibres from the concrete material. “Most of the research into FRC is about the formulation or the application of the material,” said Kathy Bru, a process engineer at research organisation 8761 BRGM. “We are looking ahead 20 or 30 years to the end-of-life so that we can recycle and reuse again.”

The project is part of a bigger European research programme called HISER led by Spanish company 1582 Tecnalia, a research-to-market product consultancy. It aims to find better ways to cope with the 461 million tonnes of construction and demolition waste, excluding excavated material, produced every year in the 1116 European Union.

As well as looking for new recycling techniques to improve the value of waste materials,

some of the 25 partners are examining how specification can be changed to include more recycled materials in new construction projects.

Electro-fragmentation is a process that applies a high-voltage electrical charge into the material. It creates a shock, akin to a lightning strike or a demolition blast. The shock is concentrated at the interface between the different materials, which separates them out. The process was developed for mineral processing.

To date, the project has tested a small sample in the laboratories of 3180 Lafarge. The results reportedly look promising, with the possibility of reusing both fibres and concrete elements. Researchers are now working on FRC originating from the demolition of an experimental FRC bridge.

The next steps will be to evaluate the cost, in terms of cash and carbon, said Bru: “It’s also very important to consider the economic and environmental impact of new technology to ensure that what we think are good ideas are also good from an economic and environmental perspective.”

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Eager for efficiency
    February 20, 2012
    Efforts to improve energy efficiency in any quarry will be furthered by a new EU-funded project now underway. Madrid-based consulting firm Solintel is leading a new €6.3million research and development project, which is part funded by the EU, to find new techniques for modelling and applying energy efficiency improvements for every aspect of quarrying.
    Read More
  • Concrete paving carried out in Nigeria
    April 12, 2018
    A contractor in Nigeria has used concrete paving equipment from Wirtgen to construct a road surface in the south-west of the country AG-Dangote Construction Company used an SP 500 model to repave the road connecting Itori with Ibese, In Nigeria’s Ogun State. For this project, the contractor, a joint venture between the Brazilian company Andrade Gutierrez Company and Nigeria’s Dangote Group, relied on the Wirtgen slipform paver in inset application.
    Read More
  • Lafarge Cement launches Lafarge Endure SR blend cement
    June 6, 2019
    Lafarge Cement – part of Aggregate Industries – has launched Lafarge Endure SR; a high performance, low carbon, CEM II blend cement. While traditional CEM I blends use virgin clinker to produce the finished cement, Lafarge Endure SR blends Portland fly ash (PFA) with clinker, which results in a lower embodied CO2, as well as improved plastic and hardened properties when used in concrete. Another benefit of using Lafarge Endure SR over a CEM I blend is its suitability for all ground types. Sulphates in
    Read More
  • Corridor for prosperity: The 5G Road
    June 14, 2019
    The next generation of highways will be a matrix of smart, intelligent and dynamic technologies that lower maintenance costs and ensure user safety. But challenges lie ahead, as Geoff Hadwick discovered in Dubrovnik The fifth-generation road is about to provide the world’s highway authorities with a big leap forward. This “forever-open”, self-healing road will integrate innovation into infrastructure, vehicles and entire intelligent transport systems, says Adewole Adesiyun, deputy secretary general of
    Read More

Highlighted Content