Global building materials giant LafargeHolcim and its sustainability subsidiary Geocycle are entering a research partnership with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ to study how construction and demolition debris, particularly concrete, can be used for energy recovery and mineral recycling.
The agency's Engineer Research and Development Center will provide technical assistance and $3.4 million from its research budget to conduct a waste characterization study and develop a research program to demonstrate how debris from across U.S. military installations can be used to create alternative fuels and raw materials to manufacture more sustainable construction products. The Corps will also provide materials for the study from a number of military installations with significant construction and demolition debris.