nir-vana innovation network

A university research group from the North of Spain, with more than 10 years of experience, formed by seven researchers (five permanent staff). The experience of this group in international collaboration have been developed with international Universities and Academia.

The problem that the group addresses is:
- reduce the use of conventional raw materials
- improve the management and recycle millions tons of construction and demolition waste generated every year. According with Eurostat, more than one third of all garbage generated in the European Union is construction and demolition waste.
- obtain new secondary raw materials.

The group offers: analysis methods for strength and quality tests of aggregates. In addition, offers the testing and design of cement-based composite materials obtained from construction and demolition waste. In particular, the research group develop characterization tests and the report of possible applications (structural and nonstructural) of stony materials (recycled and natural aggregates, and recycled concrete).

Furthermore, the group’s research is aligned with the current environmental policy on waste reduction, recycling, material recovery and carbon footprint reduction, with the aim of obtaining more environmentally efficient building materials and increasing the sustainability of a sector, so important for the development of society, such as construction.

The material research presents a clear innovation within the technology of production new stony materials obtained from construction and demolition waste. It implies the environmental part of waste reduction, recycling, valorization of materials, reduction of the carbon footprint and obtaining more efficient construction materials from the environmental point of view, increasing the sustainability of the construction sector.

Partners from construction and demolition waste management companies or construction companies are searched for further development and implementation of the technology under technical cooperation agreement and financial agreement.

Besides the test and bio-repair techniques, the group offers their background, capabilities and facilities for further research and development collaborations, in order to apply to international cooperation projects (H2020, Eurostars, Eureka, COSME, LIFE, etc.) in the field of development, recycling and valorization of building materials, taking into account the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, sustainability…

Advantages & innovations

The research is focuses on increase the lifetime of raw materials, transforming construction and demolition waste into secondary aggregates, a technically feasible option for the manufacture of recycled concrete while maintaining (and in some cases improving) its mechanical characteristics, helping to conserve and controlled the environmental impact. In addition, quarries, mines and open pit mining of such important raw materials as aggregates, could be reduced. Besides the quantity of energy used for the elaboration of concrete is strongly reduced, the environmental damage is reduced due to the diminishing of energy and water consumptions, and allow to obtain a material with similar features to those conventional one, useful for a lot of applications. The group offers innovative: • Characterization of recycled aggregates in accordance with international standards. • Characterization of recycled concrete according to international standards. • Characterization of precast concrete elements for use in specific applications. • Bio-repair techniques of stone materials using bacterial strains and/or diatoms. What makes the technique for testing and bio-repairing construction materials innovative, especially in comparison with existing solutions, is the reduction in the construction costs, decreasing the carbon footprint and reducing the environmental impact.

Stage of development

Field tested/evaluated

Partner sought

The partners sought are construction and demolition waste management companies interested in the reducing the construction costs and the environmental impact, decreasing the carbon footprint. The type of cooperation will be in the frame of technical cooperation agreement and financial agreement in order to use the test and bio-repair techniques. In addition, the research group is also open to continue the technical development of its innovation with universities, technology centers and companies applying to international cooperation projects (H2020, Eurostars, Eureka, COSME, LIFE, etc.), in the field of development, recycling and valorization of building materials.