RAMPF – Pioneering the Chemical Recycling of Building Materials

350 million tons of construction, renovation, and demolition waste are generated every year in the EU. As part of a continuous effort towards a sustainable economy, the ICEBERG* project is developing circular economy solutions for building materials. Using reverse logistics tools and technologies for recovering valuable feedstock, the quality and thus acceptability of recycled materials from building and demolition waste is to be improved.

Leading public and private organizations from ten EU countries are taking part in the four-year project, which has a budget of 15.7 million euros. ICEBERG encompasses six case studies that will be validated on an industrial scale, covering the circularity of concrete, ceramics, wood, plaster, insulating foams, and super-insulating materials.

Recycling polyols manufactured via solvolysis

RAMPF Eco Solutions has been developing chemical solutions and multifunctional plants for the manufacture of high-quality alternative polyols from polyurethane (PU) and PET waste materials for almost three decades. For the ICEBERG project, the company has been assigned to use its solvolysis technology for extracting recycling polyols from polymeric insulating foams.

Marco Werth, Director of Sales & Marketing at RAMPF Eco Solutions – “We operate two of the largest multi-functional PU and PET/PSA recycling plants in Europe. The recycling polyols manufactured via solvolysis are of the highest quality and tailor-made for the production of insulation materials, adhesives, and flexible foams, amongst others. They therefore play an integral part in establishing a truly circular economy in the construction and demolition sector.”

Previously, RAMPF Eco Solutions was part of the EU backed project URBANREC that was dedicated to improving the logistics and treatment of bulky waste. Here, the company developed chemical processes for obtaining high-value recycled polyols from plastic waste such as mattresses and upholstery. UBANREC was successfully completed in 2019.

* ICEBERG stands for Innovative Circular Economy Based solutions demonstrating the Efficient recov-ery of valuable material Resources from the Generation of representative End-of-Life building materials. This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Framework Programme under grant agreement No. 869336.