Improving the use of secondary raw materials
in cement and concrete
Associations and companies call for changes to construction regulations
It is undisputed that the use of secondary raw materials in cement and concrete leads to a more circular economy and resource conservation. However, what is politically desirable often fails due to existing regulations. It hinders the use of industrially produced or recycled aggregates due to outdated concepts for assessing environmental compatibility. Six companies and associations have therefore addressed a need for regulatory adjustment to the Federal Ministries for Economic Affairs, the Environment, Transport and Building and all relevant state ministries. They are calling for the assessment of environmental compatibility to be based on the eluate values of the construction product - a procedure that has long been established and proven in traffic route construction - and not on the basis of solid limit values for individual components. This applies both to the materials currently used and to the new by-products of a transformed industry.
In their statement, the initiators point out a contradictory status quo of the regulations: Secondary raw materials that may be used in road and path construction in various unbound or bound applications - since August 1, 2023 according to the German Substitute Building Materials Ordinance (EBV) - are excluded as a component of a dense concrete matrix in construction products due to the requirements of Annex 10 of the Model Administrative Regulation Technical Building Regulations (MVV TB) - the requirements for construction works with regard to the effects on soil and water (ABuG). This is despite the fact that the regulations for traffic route construction guarantee that the material can be used without causing damage, taking into account the respective installation conditions. In addition, different elution methods are used in the ABuG, which makes it de facto impossible to compare the analyses according to EBV and ABuG.
The associations and companies also point out how urgently adjustments are needed: “Effective use of secondary raw materials and building materials needs a standardized, practice-oriented set of regulations that takes into account the requirements for soil and water protection as well as the technological ones. The focus here must be on the end product. Outdated and inappropriate regulations not only hinder the promotion of the circular economy and resource conservation. They could also lead to large quantities of high-quality and environmentally friendly secondary raw materials ending up in landfill in the future. So there is an acute need for action!”
The signatories include the Interest Group for Thermal Waste Treatment in Germany (ITAD), Afarak Elektrowerk Weisweiler, the Interest Group of Waste Incineration Slag Processors and Recyclers (IGAM), the FEhS - Institute for Building Materials Research, Aurubis and Peute Baustoff.
