As a CCRI Project, Circ-Boost provides innovative solutions to problems that can be overcome by using circular systems. Such circular systemic solutions include reducing construction waste by upcycling concrete and masonry for new buildings and developing Rebetong concrete from recycled materials. Circ-Boost ultimately aims to show that sustainable methods can also be profitable and advocates for supportive policies that boost circularity in construction. 

The problem: construction waste 

The construction industry is a huge contributor to waste production and CO2 emissions worldwide. In 2022, the construction sector produced 38.4 % of the total waste in the EU, making it the largest waste-producing sector. This has led the EU to focus on managing this waste effectively to help the environment and support the circular economy. 

A coordinator from Circ-Boost highlighted the project’s multifaceted approach to addressing the issue of construction waste and promoting sustainable practices. He remarked that, ‘Circ-Boost brings extensive circular economy expertise across technical, economic, and regulatory domains. By combining these areas of expertise, Circ-Boost provides valuable insights to the CCRI community, especially in the construction sector.’ 

Circ-Boost’s innovative recycled concrete 

The Circ-Boost project was created from the understanding that construction and demolition waste can be reclaimed and reused. So, for one of its pilot projects in Czechia, Circ-Boost uses Rebetong, a sustainable concrete made from up to 100% recycled aggregates. 

The Circ-Boost pilot project testing the concrete is located in Prague, Czechia, where Rebetong is being used for individual structural elements of a residential project built. The construction project is reclaiming a brownfield area, which used to be the site a sugar factory in Modřany, south Prague. As the Rebetong concrete structural elements are mostly hidden inside the building, the project will also use the concrete in the façade panels of one of the buildings. 

The exterior, brick-recycled Rebetong façade of the building will reveal the inner composition and texture of this innovative concrete. This will showcase the sustainable materials used and highlight the unique and aesthetically pleasing aspects of the recycled concrete. 

How Rebetong helps the environment 

To produce Rebetong, concrete and masonry waste from old buildings and structures must be identified, processed and integrated into new concrete mixes. This achieves up to 100% replacement of traditional raw materials used in concrete like sand and gravel in some cases, and 70% replacement for vertical structural elements (such as waste sourced from columns). In doing so, Circ-Boost reduces material waste and increases the value of those waste materials, circularly repurposing them and creating a useful product. 

In terms of environmental impact, Rebetong reduces CO2 emissions by reusing construction materials and incorporating industrial by-products (such as fly-ash) into its manufacturing. The concrete is also designed to be more energy-efficient during its production than traditional concretes. 

This new and valuable product therefore lowers the environmental impact of construction, especially in cases where the CDW treatment (removing unwanted fractions such as lightweight particles) is done on-site. This minimises any transport (and by extension reduces emissions) of waste to landfills, treatment plants or when procuring aggregate. 

Project Circ-Boost’s approach not only minimises the reliance on non-renewable resources but also significantly reduces the amount of construction waste directed to landfills, setting a new benchmark for environmental responsibility in the industry. 

Efficient mapping of recyclable construction materials 

The innovations of Circ-Boost do not stop with real-world solutions like sustainable concrete. They have also developed innovative software to help make the complex processes of resource management more efficient, circular and ecological. 

Circ-Boost have done this through providing practical tools, like their ‘3D Map Platform’, that can help CCRI cities to optimise resource management. The innovative tool has already been used for the mapping of concrete in a demolition project in Sortland, Northern Norway. 

The process uses advanced technologies like digital mapping and BIM, enabling stakeholders to visualise materials that are already embedded in existing structures, which in the future can generate material flows for construction projects through selective demolition and harvesting. 

The production of Rebetong concrete requires recyclable material to be identified in the first place. This mapping tool supports circular practices by providing real-time data on material stocks, projected waste generation, and the recycling potential of construction and demolition sites. 

Like Rebetong, the 3D Map Platform can be used by cities within the CCRI community and contributes towards the CRRI’s goal to create replicable models for sustainable building practices like efficiently tracing material flows, maximising resource recovery and predicting future material flows. the process can also be scaled across European cities and regions. 

Looking toward the future, Circ-Boost is exploring the use of radio frequency wireless sensors to track materials, making it even easier to manage resources throughout a building’s lifecycle. 

Sharing the successes 

Currently, Circ-Boost is running five pilot projects that test and demonstrate the impact of circular construction solutions. For more information on Circ-Boost, including detailed project outcomes and inspiring pilot cases, you can reach out to their team through the CCRI website. 

Next for the project, Circ-Boost is aiming to develop and support business models that demonstrate the cost-effectiveness of circular practices, showing that sustainable methods can also be profitable. Project coordinators hope to create replicable models for building practices that can be scaled across European cities and regions. 

As described by a coordinator of the project, ‘Circ-Boost aims to drive a paradigm shift towards circular construction practices across Europe. By providing successful examples of upcycling and sustainable design, we expect our project to encourage cities and regions to adopt circular solutions.’ 

Circ-Boost’s innovative tools like its recycled Rebetong concrete and 3d Mapping tool serve as successful models to enable circular construction practices across Europe. The project’s circular systemic solutions work to reduce CO2, recycle and valorise underutilised construction materials, and efficiently map potential material recovery sites. Circ-Boost’s tools have proven the viability of using a circular system within the construction industry that can be replicated in other European CCRI cities and regions.