Lafarge to Use Water Treatment Residuals in Cement

Published on by in Technology

Lafarge to Use Water Treatment Residuals in Cement

Lafarge Canada has come up with a way of using the waste minerals and chemicals removed during drinking water filtration.

NqEjy5j.jpg
Image source: Lafarge

It has reached a three-year agreement with Metro Vancouver to use drinking water treatment residuals from the Seymour Capilano Filtration Plant as a material in cement manufacturing.

The solids removed during the drinking water filtration process consist of materials from the source water (sediments and naturally occurring elements) and treatment chemicals (coagulants and polymers). They contain a chemical profile that mimics that of red shale, a virgin aggregate input required as a raw material in cement manufacturing.

The agreement, which follows environmental and industrial trials, would mean fewer virgin materials would be needed to be mined, while residuals would be kept out of the landfill.

LafargeHolcim’s Global 2030 Sustainability Plan calls for increased waste-derived resources to be used in its manufacturing processes. The agreement with Metro Vancouver represents a minimum of 10,000t per year.

The Seymour-Capilano Filtration Plant treats water from Metro Vancouver’s Seymour and Capilano water reservoirs, with about 250 truckloads of residuals shipped to the Vancouver Landfill annually. A display will be set up at the plant to educate students and residents about the path it takes for residuals to become cement and eventually concrete.

Read full article: The Construction Index

Media

Taxonomy