Spent foundry sand valorization in construction sector through the validation of high-performance applications

Disposal of spent foundry sand (SFS) is one of the most pressing environmental concerns the metal casting industry faces nowadays. Despite its high sflica content, that waste is typically landfilled, thus losing a valuable non-renewable material. The construction sector seems a promising alternative to beneficially reuse spent foundry sand, provided that concentrations of residual organic compounds from binders and metals from casting are below certain limits.

This paper describes the activities performed in the project LIFE ECO-SANDFILL, concerning the determination of environmental and technical properties critical for the development of SFS in construction applications. A novel mechanical SFS reclamation system has been built and integrated in a Spanish foundry, to make reclaimed sand reach the required quality for several applications. The first experimental results are discussed.

ACKNOWLEDGMENT LIFE ECO-SANDFILL (2016-2019) is co-financed by the LIFE Programme of the European Union (Grant Agreement No. LIFE15 ENV/ES/000612).