Revolution in Lower Saxony: First PAH treatment plant approved!

Revolution in Lower Saxony: First PAH treatment plant approved!

In a notable step in waste management, Bettels recently received approval for the first thermal treatment plant for tar-containing road debris. The innovative system, which uses a patented low-temperature process from Eisenmann Environmental Technology GmbH, is intended to play a key role in the circular economy. The waste is treated at temperatures of approximately 570 to 600 degrees Celsius, which ensures the complete elimination of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). This is particularly important because of the 135,000 tons of road debris annually, around 127,000 tons can be recovered and used as valuable raw materials, reports Euwid Recycling.

How high is the need for such technologies? In Germany, over three million tonnes of tar-containing road waste is produced every year, and landfill space is becoming increasingly scarce. To date, disposal options have been limited: landfilling and incineration abroad are common practices. There is currently only one thermal plant in the Netherlands that is responsible for material recycling. The new system could not only save transport costs and reduce the impact on the environment, but also recover high-quality secondary raw materials.

A step towards sustainability

The initiative to thermally treat road surfaces is no coincidence: the state of Lower Saxony has set itself the ambitious goal of becoming climate neutral by 2040. This requires a move away from the linear flows of raw materials that have characterized the landscape for decades. State Environment Minister Meyer highlights the economic viability of such innovative solutions and emphasizes their contribution to climate and sustainability goals. The new processes are not only environmentally friendly, they also make economic sense as they reduce the need for primary raw materials from quarries, explains Umweltwirtschaft.

As part of these developments, there are already numerous companies working on similar projects. These include Strabag and Paul Kleinknecht with the “NovoRock” project and Fischer Weilheim with the “VESTA” project. The Eurovia company is also planning to implement the “InnoTeer” process in Oberhausen. The aim is to use a two-stage low-temperature process that safely destroys PAHs and at the same time preserves the physical properties of the mineral raw materials obtained. In this way, the reuse of aggregates could become the norm instead of scarcity management and landfilling.

Technological advances and their importance

Innovations in waste management are crucial for Germany's ecological and economic future. According to the Federal Ministry of Economics, there are around 250,000 employees in the waste disposal industry, who play an important role in the economy with sales of around 50 billion euros. The development of modern technologies for waste recycling not only contributes to environmental protection, but also to the creation of new jobs in Germany.

The approval for the Bettels facility is therefore more than just a technological advance; it represents a significant contribution to the circular economy. Through innovative processes, we could not only optimize resource consumption, but also sustainably relieve the burden on the environment. This is the path we must take to meet the challenges of the future.