Vlaamse Instelling Voor Technologisch Onderzoek Nv (VITO)
VITO is an independent Flemish research organization in the area of cleantech and sustainable development. Its goal? To accelerate the transition to a sustainable world. The work in ROTATE is carried out by the Waste Recycling Technology group in VITO’s Sustainable Materials department. The Sustainable Materials department is known for developing a set of technologies that can contribute to the European Green Deal and the Sustainable Development Goals, while at the same time being the center for studies on the Best-Available-Techniques. The Waste Recycling Technologies team focusses on developing technologies for the recycling of mineral waste streams. The main research lines are targeting the advanced characterization of heterogenous waste streams using artificial intelligence, sustainable metallurgy (leaching), and the production of low-carbon binders. The latter line, most relevant for ROTATE, targets mineral carbonation and the production of circular cements as flagship technologies.
VITO is leader of WP4 on enhancing the circularity of the mining and quarrying sector. The technical work of VITO lies with the valorization of aggregate washing sludge. This sludge is obtained after washing virgin aggregates or after crushing construction and demolition waste. The material will be used in concrete, as a filler material. The performance of selected samples will be enhanced using a co-calcination process so the material can be used as a supplementary cementitious material (SCM), a material with active participation in the cement hydration reactions. The production of lightweight aggregates to be used in lightweight/insulating concrete or screed products is a final high-gain high-risk solution to be investigated.
