Challenge

Development of sustainable and high-performance materials from scrap, by-products, and demolition waste. 

The Project

Buildings demolition and renovation generate a significant amount of waste and scrap, known as CDW (Construction and Demolition Waste), causing a significant impact on the environment. At the same time, the building sector has a growing need for secondary raw materials to be incorporated into construction products in order to develop sustainable and efficient solutions, in compliance with increasingly stringent European and national regulations. 

REWINDS is dedicated to the development of sustainable, high-performance building materials created using scraps, by-products and demolition waste. These materials can be of different types and sizes, from aggregates, mortars and conglomerates, through bricks and ceramics to insulators and polymers. Many companies in the construction supply chains are actively involved in the project, facilitating the experimentation, demonstration and validation of the innovative solutions devised, with the aim of promoting their widespread adoption in the market.

The role of Teknehub

TekneHub is responsible for the activities of environmental impact assessment and Carbon Footprint evaluation of products’ lifecycle, by quantifying the Embodied Carbon of the developed technical solutions. Additionally, it collaborates in the development of technical solutions starting from CDW (Construction and Demolition Waste), evaluating their potential applications in the building envelope sector.

The activities carried out by TekneHub will enable the products developed by REWINDS to have qualitative and quantitative evaluations of their environmental impact, allowing CDW to be "rehabilitated" within the construction sector as new secondary raw materials.

Expected outcomes

• To develop and disseminate innovative technologies for CDW recycling to be implemented in new construction and building renovation projects;

• To foster the construction industry's transition to the use of energy and environmentally sustainable materials. This results in a reduction in carbon emissions, an increase of circularity within the construction sector, and a more efficient utilization of natural resources;

• To promote the transition to green buildings with high energy efficiency and low environmental impact. This supports global decarbonization and enhances parameters related to air quality, health, and overall well-being.

Project details

• Scientific Responsibility: Dott.ssa. Valentina Frighi

• Coordinator: Certimac soc. cons. a r.l.

• Partner: Teknehub; CNR - ISSMC; Centro Ceramico.

• Funding: Euro (EUR) 499.788,00

• Funding for UNIFE: Euro (EUR) 77.075,00 

• Duration: 24/30 mesi

The project is carried out thanks to the European Funds of the Emilia-Romagna Region