BTB plant, pioneer in assessing construction and demolition waste

The plant Bizkaiko Txin-Txor Berziklategia (BTB), located in La Orkonera, Ortuella (Bizkaia, Basque Country) is the first plant of the Basque Autonomous Region dedicated to the assessment of waste derived from construction and demolition. Its set up, after an investment of 2,6 million euros, is going to prolong the average life of dumping sites.

The construction company Pavisa and the public corporation Garbiker, dependent on the Regional Council of Bizkaia, have designed the plant BTB for the treatment of construction waste, constituted basically by concrete, and domestic waste, sent to the garbigunes (centre of waste recovery).

The plant applies an adequate environmental treatment for this kind of waste and its subsequent re-utilisation. To do that, waste is first ground in a mill. The clean concrete is sieved and domestic waste goes to manual separation of wood, plastic and iron material. During the grinding and sieving process, iron remains are eliminated and fractions of different granulation are obtained. This material, once it is homologated, is ready for its re-utilisation. BTB has obtained the authorisation of the Basque Government to give added value to this kind of waste.

Less extractive activity

One of the benefits the new plant for the treatment of construction and demolition waste (CDW) produces is the diminution of extractive activities in Basque quarries, due to the substitution of those materials with recycled ones. CDW constitutes an environmental problem that must be solved to relieve dumping sites, eliminate dump, re-use primary materials and reduce deteriorating extractions for the environment.

The second stage of the Integral Plan of Urban Waste of Bizkaia establishes as objective to recycle 220,750 tons of CDW in 2007. In that scenario, CDW that mainly derives from minor works and home reparations takes a special relevance. This initiative of the Regional Council of Bizkaia has been materialised in the BTB plant. In relation to its design and machinery, it is one of the most innovative among this kind of installations in Spain.

The recycling of those materials allows a high level of exploitation of bricks, tiles, ceramics, concrete, wood, metals, paper and plastics. All that prolongs the useful life of dumping sites, as they are not used for this kind of materials. The recycling of the materials derived from construction and demolition waste provides some advantages, such as the lack of problems of storage or transport.

Treatment of 300,000 tons/year

The company Pavisa and the public corporation Garbiker share 50 % of the capital of Bizkaiko Txintxor Berziklategia (BTB). The plant is next to the controlled dumping site of inert waste dependent on Garbiker. It has been designed and mounted by Talleres ZB from Renteria (Gipuzkoa). The civil work has been done by Viuda de Sainz and the project has been developed by Idema. The whole output of BTB is 300,000 tons/year, with one working shift, distributed in 200,000 tons/year of treatment of specific material of concrete and 100,000 tons/year for the assessment of domestic and assimilable waste.