Gulf Construction Online - Combo delivers a ‘win-win’ solution

Manufacturers & Procurement

The Combo from CDE ... the world’s first all-in-one revolutionary wet processing system.

Combo delivers a ‘win-win’ solution

01 May 2019

CDE has unveiled The Combo, claimed to be the world’s first all-in-one revolutionary wet processing system that creates alternatives to the finite natural resources used in the construction industry at a time when demand for infrastructure is at all-time highs and growing.

By converting what is often considered a waste by-product into valuable construction materials, the system – which accepts feed from natural sand or crushed rock reserves – is not only protecting the environment but creating significant value for customers, says a spokesman for CDE, adding that the technology can help address some of the biggest challenges facing the Middle East.

Global demand for construction sand is more than 15 billion tonnes per year with sand accounting for some 35 per cent of concrete – the most widely used construction material in the world, he points out.

To put that demand into context, China used more concrete between 2011 and 2013 than the US used in the entire 20th century. And 50 billion tonnes of sand and gravel are used around the world every year - equivalent to a 35-m-high by 35-m-wide wall around the Equator, the spokesman remarks.

The Combo ... unveiled at bauma construction exhibition in Munich, Germany, last month.

Concrete production is expected to grow. The total global building floor area in 2016 was around 235 billion sq m and this is projected to double over the next 40 years.

“Additionally, the world is rapidly running out of landfill space and with the amount of waste set to double in the next 15 years, it’s about to get much worse,” says the spokesman.

“This has left many countries facing a shortage of processing capability and raw material resources while at the same time experiencing increasing demand for infrastructure, housing and civil works. Some countries in the Middle East are even relying on imported natural sand and aggregates for construction which is unsustainable.”

He says the population of the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) region is projected to increase by more than 40 per cent over the next few decades. Industrial demand is growing alongside. This means the region will need to invest over $100 billion a year to maintain existing and create new infrastructure to serve the growing communities and cities across the region, according to some reports.

And this is at the time of a growing recognition than the region needs to tackle its waste and landfill crises.

He cites the example of Kuwait, which is among the highest per capita waste generators in the world with more than two million tonnes annually and 18 landfills, many on the outskirts of populated areas creating health issues. It has been forecast that the construction waste would rise from 5.02 million tonnes in 2012 to 7.51 million tonnes in 2025. This is a huge problem,” the spokesman emphasises.

The Gulf states are now taking action and are working towards a zero-landfill target for reducing plastics wastage by 2040, to match European timelines.

The UAE is also one of the world’s top waste producers but is tackling the issue with the Dubai Integrated Waste Management Master Plan seeking to steer 100 per cent of the city’s waste away from landfills by 2030.

“To achieve these targets, and at the same time meet demand for infrastructure, will require a concerted effort and the embracing of new technologies such as The Combo wet processing and water recycling system,” he points out.

One key area of CDE’s focus has been the construction and demolition waste recycling sector, in which the company has played a pioneering role over the last two decades in the UK, which is a global leader in this type of recycling. CDE undertook the first projects of this kind to reclaim from landfill in India, Australia, and North and South America, the spokesman says.

“And while the newly unveiled Combo can be used across all the sectors that CDE is active in including sand and aggregates and mining, it is easy to see how its role in waste recycling, industrial sands and environmental sector applications are ideally suited to the Middle East.”

He says the sustainable technology in The Combo is protecting essential finite resources that are increasing in cost, all while adding value to customers.

The Combo incorporates all the actions involved in washing process such as screening, classification, dewatering and water management on a single chassis, enabling the plant to be installed in a small area, making it ideal for use in urban settings close to infrastructure builds and landfills as demanded in Kuwait.

This all brings with it the attendant advantages of lower power and water consumption, resulting in low operating costs. This also means the plant can be up and running within three days of arriving on site, the spokesman states.

He continues: “The zero-waste system maximises the quality, value and yield of low-value raw material reserves – creating materials for bricks and blocks from natural sand sources or crushed rock sludge and all fractions of natural resource are converted into products and sand is delivered with low moisture to make it concrete ready.

“Clean power is used with low energy requirement per tonne of feed, making the plant ideal to be run from renewable power. In addition, sand can be produced closer to where concrete is required, resulting in significant cost savings in the transport of aggregates.

“The Gulf has huge levels of construction and demolition waste and there are benefits in recycling across the board. In the Middle East, water is more expensive than oil and The Combo has the ability to recycle 90 per cent of the water used within the wet processing process.

“The green wet processing technology saves water, land and energy and does not create pollution hazards at project sites.”

Essentially, CDE looks towards material streams that would historically be perceived as waste – such as highly contaminated soils, earth and excavation waste, over-burden and crusher dust on the sand and aggregates side – and has developed solutions that divert those materials from landfill and bring them back into mainstream construction as an alternative to virgin sand and aggregate.

“It may perhaps come as a surprise to some that up to 70 per cent of concrete used in construction is non-structural so these manufactured sands and materials are incredibly valuable to both the environment and customers,” says the spokesman

He adds, CDE is able to recover almost 100 per cent of the waste into recycled sand and aggregates used directly back into the construction trade and the subsequent recycled product is typically sold for 80 to 90 per cent of the value that it had in its original, natural state.

“It is a win-win situation for the environment, the Middle East and the customer,” concludes the spokesman.