V. International Conference Progress of Recycling in the Built Environment (V. PRE)

(70 Clicks)

Recycling materials has a long tradition in human history. In the Palaeolithic, for example, the reuse of discarded stone artefacts was probably a common strategy to obtain raw materials. Later, “scrap metal” was an important material source for remanufacturing. Recycling was also the order of the day in the Dark Ages. Collecting and recycling materials such as scrap metal, rags, clothing, paper, bones, and ashes have been a common practice. In the recent past, technological progress and the initially almost unlimited transport possibilities brought recycling to a virtual standstill. Now, it has become interesting again. There are signs of a shortage of resources for primary and secondary construction raw materials such as sand, gypsum, and fly ash – which can become a driving force for recycling. At the same time, landfill sites are becoming more and more rare. Nevertheless, there is still a long way to go in building materials research before a balance is reached between new developments in building materials, studies on performance during the service life, and devealopments of recycling solutions. The often-made assessment of “recyclable” for a new product stands on the shoulders of clay and is not always technologically proven. This conference can contribute to changing this, by improving the knowledge of construction and demolition waste as difficult raw materials and by leveraging their impacts when used within sophisticated product developments and processing technologies. New ideas like saving on energy consumption and reducing CO₂ emissions through new recycling solutions are welcome.

This V. PRE Conference in 2023 is part of a series of conferences started in 2009 by the RILEM Committee TC-217 “Progress of Recycling in the Built Environment.” This year the conference is organized by the Weimar Institute of Applied Construction Research – IAB gGmbH. The institute has more than 30 years of experience in developing new products, technologies, and processes from natural materials as well as from Construction and Demolition Waste (CDW). The institute has a broad set of laboratory equipment and experimental facilities, especially for the research on recycling of Construction and Demolition Waste.

The conference aims to debate and disseminate recent developments in the characterization, processing, and application of recovered materials from CDW to strengthen their production, foster confidence in their use, and, consequently, stimulate their demand. With this purpose, it is foreseen an increasing participation of all stakeholders while raising awareness about the great relevance of CDW recycling.

This conference will include high-level scientific sessions, with Keynote Lectures given by well-known international experts, sessions with selected papers, and discussions on the most urgent issues related to CDW recycling. An excursion on the third day of the event to the recycling technology centre of the IAB Weimar and a subsequent tour of the Haus am Horn – the first Bauhaus show house – will round off the conference programme.

It is expected that this Conference will contribute to improving resource efficiency in the construction sector, by providing interesting clues to closing the loop for materials and preserving natural resources as well as energy.

Themes

• New and enhanced processing techniques for CDW
• Innovative solutions for products based on CDW
• Performance and durability of products with/from recycled material
• Contributions of CDW recycling against the shortage of raw materials
• Contributions of recycling against CO₂ emission
• Quality and confidence
• Life Cycle Analysis and Life Cycle Costs
• Case studies