Commercial application of accelerated carbonation: Looking back at the first year

Carbon8 Systems is a university spin-out company developing and applying accelerated carbonation for the commercial production of aggregates from waste. Hazardous wastes can be converted into construction products that meet the regulatory requirements for ‘end of waste’ using carbonation. hen the accelerated carbonation process is applied to municipal solid waste incineration (MSWI) air pollution control residues (APCr), the ash is solidified and stabilised in carbonate-cemented pellets. The pelletised products have mechanical and chemical properties that make them suitable for use in concrete blocks. In early 2012, following the success of a series of pilot and full-scale trials, a full scale carbonation plant was built and commissioned at Brandon in Suffolk, UK. This plant is the first of its kind in the world. The aggregate plant has now been operating for about a year and is producing a consistent product. Continued monitoring of the incoming APCr, and the outgoing aggregate product has dramatically increased the knowledge of processing this troublesome material. In addition to rigorous independent third party and in-house testing, the physical and chemical properties of the product are routinely examined to meet quality control criteria, and to ensure compliance with the ‘end-of-waste’ status approved by the UK Environment Agency. © 2013 The Authors