Press Release: SIKA ACHIEVES BREAKTHROUGH IN CONCRETE RECYCLING BY DEVELOPING A GROUND-BREAKING NEW PROCESS

SIKA ACHIEVES BREAKTHROUGH IN CONCRETE RECYCLING BY DEVELOPING A

GROUND-BREAKING NEW PROCESS

Sika has developed a new, ground-breaking recycling process for old

concrete. The old concrete is broken down into the individual parts

gravel, sand and limestone in a simple and efficient process, which also

binds about 60 kg of CO(2) per ton of crushed concrete demolition waste.

This innovation - with the brand name <> - will make a

significant contribution to reduce the ecological footprint of the

construction industry.

According to the European Commission, 25--30% of all waste generated in

the EU consists of construction demolition waste materials, many of

which could be recycled. Recycling these materials is particularly

crucial in dense urban areas, as this is where most old concrete

accumulates. Sika has succeeded in developing a highly efficient process

that will allow to separate and reuse the components of old concrete as

well as increase the recycled aggregates' quality.

ADDITIVES FOR HIGH-PERFORMANCE CONCRETE

Comparative testing of the Sika <> process has demonstrated

that new concrete containing recycled content performs similarly to an

all-new product. Thanks to additionally developed chemical additives,

further process optimizations can be achieved, such as the flexibility

to tailor specific concrete functionalities.

Paul Schuler, CEO: "In the five largest EU countries alone, roughly 300

million tons of old concrete are generated every year. With complete

recycling of these materials, up to 15 million tons of CO(2) emissions

can be captured. We are convinced that our new process has the potential

to benefit both our customers and the environment."

Frank Hoefflin, Chief Technology Officer, states: "With our strong

expertise in concrete technology, we were able to develop a completely

new recycling process that can be considered a game changer in the

concrete industry. We are already developing complementary chemical

additives and quality enhancers and are pushing the industrialization of

our new technology."

MILESTONE IN CONCRETE RECYCLING

With the new process, old concrete can be completely recycled and saved

from landfill. So far, attempts to recycle old concrete have led to

rather low recycling rates, and only 30% of primary material can be

substituted by these recycled materials in structural concrete. The Sika

innovation will produce high-performance concrete while sequestering a

significant amount of CO(2).

CONTACT

Dominik Slappnig

Corporate Communications &

Investor Relations

+41 58 436 68 21

slappnig.dominik@ch.sika.com

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SIKA CORPORATE PROFILE

Sika is a specialty chemicals company with a leading position in the

development and production of systems and products for bonding, sealing,

damping, reinforcing, and protecting in the building sector and motor

vehicle industry. Sika has subsidiaries in 100 countries around the

world and manufactures in over 300 factories. Its 25,000 employees

generated annual sales of CHF 7.88 billion in 2020.

The media release can be downloaded from the following link:

Media Release

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(END) Dow Jones Newswires

March 02, 2021 01:00 ET (06:00 GMT)