STARECBackground
Tar was used as a binding agent in the construction of asphalt roads in the Netherlands. These days, this particular use of tar is prohibited. Old tar-containing asphalt (TCA) is difficult to dispose of following its removal. It is currently processed thermally - via incineration. This also applies to shredder residue (SR) from a car shredder machine. SR is currently dumped in landfills.
In Europe, 1 billion tonnes of TCA from the public road network is hauled away for disposal every year. The total potential volume of SR requiring processing is 5 million tonnes per year. At the moment, a suitable processing method does not exist, which leads to a significant negative environmental impact. TCA contains polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), which can be released into the atmosphere using current processing methods. The project will ensure that the TCA and SR waste flows can be recycled into harmless products with useful applications.
The problem of recycling these waste flows is recognised throughout Europe. As a consequence, the European Union has started controlling the recycling of these materials via legislation and regulations.Processing these waste flows requires the introduction of new techniques that facilitate responsible recycling. Pyrolysis is one of the possible techniques that can be used in this respect. Pyrolysis breaks materials down into their component parts using heat without oxygen. Until recently, a pyrolysis technique that was capable of cleaning the aforementioned waste flows was not available.
Jansen Recycling BV, a recycling company based in Son, plans to invest in the first complete, full-scale demonstration/operational pyrolysis system for thermally cleaning (initially) SR and TCA. The end products after cleaning will be reused in road construction, hydraulic engineering and the concrete industry.
Objective
Jansen Recycling BV's objective for this project is the market introduction of a new innovative technique with which heavily polluting waste flows can be responsibly recycled.
The technology will initially be developed for recycling shredder residue and tar-containing asphalt. Developing the needed pyrolysis technology will result in lower emissions of PAHs. The introduction of this technique will make it possible for industry to comply with the recycling regulations that the authorities have put in place.
At the moment, recycling these materials is regarded as an energy-intensive procedure that impacts significantly on the environment and that does not produce anything useful. With this project, Jansen Recycling BV wishes to demonstrate that recycling heavily polluting waste flows can have a positive effect on the environment by reducing emissions of harmful substances and the creation of useful end products.
Project targets
The targeted results of this project are:
• Reduction of hazardous and harmful waste flows - the use of thermal cleaning to recycle
in an environmentally aware manner.
• Useful application of residual heat - the generation of energy to supply electricity to the
national grid and to power the thermal cleaning operation.
• Reuse of residual substances.
• Establishing a method for processing heavily polluting residue flows with a reduced
environmental impact.
• Alternative and innovative solution for Europe.
Once the pyrolysis system is in operation, it will be possible to recycle other waste flows resulting in lower costs for materials, lower environmental (protection) costs, lower storage costs, reduced consumption of primary raw materials and lower transport costs. The technology will facilitate processing larger volumes of waste than has been possible until now. This will lead to lower costs for the intake of materials, lower storage costs (more processing, less storage). In addition, building more pyrolysis plants (greater density per geographical area) will reduce transport costs. The resulting increase in scale will also strengthen the competitive position of the EU.
Making the position of the EU eco-industry even stronger will increase the potential for exporting new recycling technologies and European know-how. Being the first to develop new innovative technology is the main advantage in this respect.
Environmental benefits description
The introduction of the pyrolysis technique in this project will facilitate the recycling of hazardous waste substances and thus reduce the negative impact on the environment. The new technology will also make it possible to convert these heavily polluting waste flows into clean useful materials and electricity.
Impact of SR and TCA on the environment and public health
• Research has shown that SR frequently contains hazardous substances such as lead,
cadmium and polychlorinated biphenyls (commonly referred to as PCBs). Studies
carried out by Wageningen University prove that SR leads to contaminated soil.
• TCA contains PAHs, which can cause lung, bladder and skin cancer.
The new technology will make it possible to separate and process harmful substances and thus prevent them ending up in the ground via conventional landfilling.
Environment-related objectives of STAREC
Within the framework of the STAREC project, Jansen Recycling BV has formulated the following objectives that will contribute to improving the quality of the environment.
• 100% reduction of the volume of harmful chemicals (oil, PAHs and Hg) compared with
accumulation in depots and reuse as untreated aggregate in the road network
• Reduction of the hazardous waste flow: 37,308 tonnes of SR and 132,300 tonnes
of TCA, respectively, per year
• Disposal of SR waste stored in depots
• Reduction of the use of primary sand and gravel: 115,000 tonnes per year
• At least 3.5 times more energy reuse per tonne compared with thermal cleaning
techniques that are currently in use
• At least 15% less water consumption compared with thermal cleaning techniques
currently in use
Project-related subsidies
A subsidy request was submitted to the European Commission, Executive Agency for Competitiveness & Innovation (EACI) in Brussels for the STAREC project.
The ‘Shredder residue and Tar-containing Asphalt RECycling (STAREC) project, contract number ECO/08/239070/SI2.535306 in the framework of the ECO Innovation Scheme has subsequently been awarded a subsidy from the EACI. The project officially started on 7 July 2009 and has a scheduled duration of 28 months.
The subsidy is for the innovative section of the total investment and made it possible to complete the initial phase of the project successfully. The next phase, for which no subsidy has yet been awarded, will involve demonstrating this innovative, low-energy and environmentally-friendly technique.
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