A Collaborative Effort to Tackle China’s Construction Waste Crisis and Challenges
China’s rapid urbanization over the last four decades has revolutionized the nation’s infrastructure, but it has also created a formidable challenge: managing construction and demolition waste (CDW). With an annual production of around 3 billion tons and the need to process 4.5 billion tons of CDW annually by 2030, the demand for innovative and sustainable waste management solutions has never been more urgent.
In response to this challenge, the RECONMATIC project, part of the Horizon Europe initiative, took a significant step forward through its engagement in China on 20-21 August 2024. The event in Shaoxing, Zhejiang Province, marked a key milestone in fostering collaboration between European and Chinese experts, aiming to develop and implement sustainable, circular practices for CSW management.
Event Highlights: Innovation, Collaboration, and Knowledge Exchange
The two-day event in Shaoxing was designed to maximize impact through a mix of symposiums, expert presentations, open discussions, and site visits. Here’s a look at the details and highlights:
1. National Symposium on Construction Solid Waste Management
Held on 20 August 2024, this symposium attracted a broad spectrum of participants, including policymakers, researchers, industry leaders, and technology providers. Themed “Construction Solid Waste Management and Utilization for a Low Carbon Future,” the symposium provided a platform for discussing the latest advancements and policies aimed at addressing China’s CSW challenges.
The symposium featured presentations from key industry and academic players, including:
Ministry of Housing and Urban Development: Key technologies for sustainable and circular CSW management.
Beijing University of Architecture and Construction: Policies for industrializing CSW management and upcycling.
China Building Research Academy: Green factory demonstrations and routes to low-carbon products from recycled construction materials.
China Building Research Academy: Quantification of carbon emissions in construction solid waste processes.
UK’s Northern Ireland Investment Department: Advanced technologies for processing construction waste.
Zhejiang Runsheng New Energy Co. Ltd: Resources extraction from integrated processing of urban construction solid waste and biowastes.
RECONMATIC: Europe-China research collaboration on Automated solutions for sustainable and circular construction and demolition waste management
2. Thematic Open Day Discussions
The following day, 21 August, featured open discussions organized around three key themes: design and construction, demolition and offsite treatment, and innovative materials and circularity assessment. These sessions enabled Chinese and European experts to engage in deep, focused exchanges of knowledge and ideas.
RECONMATIC’s contributions included presentations on digital management systems for CDW, IoT-enabled monitoring solutions (smart containers for waste collection), and methodologies for material mapping, waste prediction, data standards related to BIM and circularity assessment. These discussions laid the groundwork for future collaboration and innovation, even beyond RECONMATIC execution phase, and supported the common interest of the European and Chinese experts in recommending approaches and methodologies for effective construction and demolition waste management, at the end of the project.
Some key presentations were:
Guangxi University: Resource utilization theory in CDW.
RECONMATIC: Digital information management systems and IoT solutions for CDW.
China Building Research Academy: Comprehensive BIM technology applications and recycling methods.
Beijing University of Technology: Recycling assessment systems for construction waste.
The full agenda is available on the event’s dedicated webpage. Videos of the presentations will be uploaded soon. Stay tuned!
3. Tour of Renewable Energy Production Plant
The event concluded with a study and exploring tour to a renewable energy production plant in Shaoxing. This facility exemplifies the integration of CDW recycling with biomass processing (gasification). The plant processes 50,000 tons of construction and demolition waste annually, converting it into valuable products like recycled aggregatesr and high-quality bricks or small vibro-pressed precast elements. The company runs three modern crushing and screening production lines, whereas one is dedicated to plasterboard waste. Apart from that, the company has a processing plant where wooden waste or agricultural waste (like straw) are turned to pyrolysis gas and valuable biochar. Gas is used for producing steam (energy) and biochar is turned in several products (bio-fertilizer, incendiary cords, barbecue charcoal etc.). This tour highlighted how innovative recycling practices can contribute to a circular economy and sustainable construction.
Impact and Outcomes: A Vision for the Future
The Shaoxing event was more than just a meeting—it was a catalyst for ongoing collaboration and innovation. Several key outcomes and future directions emerged from this engagement:
Application of European Standards in China: Chinese partners showed strong interest in implementing some of the European specifications or guides like the “Construction and Demolition Waste Pre-Demolition Audit Protocol” within local projects. This approach is expected to enhance sustainability and efficiency in demolition processes across China.
Advancement of Digital Solutions: A fully operational digital information management system for CDW management is now a central goal, with both European and Chinese RECONMATIC partners aiming to deliver this by the end of the project period in 2026. This system promises to revolutionize how CDW is tracked, managed, and repurposed throughout its lifecycle.
Long-Term Ambitions for Global Standards: Looking ahead, both teams are committed to developing an international standard for assessing the sustainability and circularity of CDW. By the end of both parts of the project, the technical foundations for this standard are expected to be in place, setting a new global benchmark for sustainable construction practices.
Reflections on the Event’s Success
The RECONMATIC engagement in China demonstrated the power of international collaboration in addressing global environmental challenges. The successful exchange of knowledge, the exploration of innovative solutions, and the commitment to future cooperation have positioned both RECONMATIC and its Chinese partners as leaders in the global effort to reduce carbon emissions and promote sustainability in construction.
As the project progresses, the outcomes of this event will continue to influence and inspire the development of sustainable construction practices, not only in China but worldwide.
Contact Information
For further details on the event or to learn more about the ongoing collaboration and project's progress, please keep following us. For more details on the consortium and the role of the partners in the project please visit the RECONMATIC's Partners’ webpage.
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