There are currently around 70 waste incineration plants in Germany that contribute to electricity production, including the Kassel waste-to-energy plant (MHKW). Municipal waste is incinerated at high temperatures for this purpose. The resulting bottom ash consists largely of mineral phases that do not contribute to electricity generation because they are not incinerated or are incinerated only incompletely. Around 50,000 metric tons of ash are thus generated at the Kassel waste-to-energy plant alone, which has so far been insufficiently integrated into the recycling economy. The aim of the project is to integrate the ash into the mass construction material concrete. Not only is the aggregate to be replaced, the ash is also to serve as a cement substitute. Since around 600 kg of CO2 is produced per ton of cement, the concrete can thus be made more ecological and serve as a pilot project for further studies.

Cooperation within the university is taking place together with Prof. Laner's working group. Project partners are the building materials companies KIMM, Baureka, and the MHKW Kassel as an associated partner.

Link to DBU: https://www.dbu.de/projekt_36064/01_db_2848.html

Picture: Processing plant in Holland