Development new waste-derived raw materials for the Foundation Industries (EnviroAsh)

The EnviroAsh project brings together partners from across the six Foundation Industries \[Glass (Glass Technology Services, Glassworks Services Ltd, Encirc, Glass Futures Ltd), Ceramics (Wienerberger), Steel (British Steel Ltd), Paper (Saica), Cement (Hanson, Breedon), Chemicals (Power Minerals Ltd. - through its Biolite division, which converts an ash-waste into a fertiliser product)\], the Energy sector (Drax) plus key academic partners (Sheffield Hallam University (SHU) and the University of Sheffield (UoS) and supply-chain partners experienced in handling and processing wastes and raw materials (PML, LKAB Minerals).

The project will identify opportunities to take waste ashes, slags, mineral by-products and filter dusts from across the FIs and convert them into new raw materials for a range of products produced within the glass, ceramic and cement Foundation Industry sectors.

In exploring an end-to-end approach this project aims to identify routes to convert waste streams into new raw materials transforming disposal costs into opportunities for income generation by creating lower cost raw materials with potential to reduce environmental impacts of Foundation Industry manufacturing processes. The project will also explore how these new feedstocks might create opportunities to improve product performance in a cost-effective manner. The project will deliver practical lab and commercial-scale demonstrations of how these new waste-derived materials can be incorporated into existing products and processes, establishing a consortium, supply chain and new business models which can be applied to other waste streams within the FI and other energy intensive sectors.