New name, new possibilities: asbestos solidification

The team from REMEX Recycling AG (From left to right): Marcus Rautenberg, Managing Director; Beat Löliger, Project Manager Remediation Services; Katarzyna Kaczmarczyk and Roman Trevisiol, Project Managers Mineral Recycling; Oliver Mickley, Managing Director.

The Swiss BUCHEN AG recently changed its name to REMEX Recycling AG. A 100% subsidiary of REMEX Mineralstoff GmbH, the company was founded in 2006 under the roof of the BUCHEN Group in Basel, Switzerland. The new name highlights their affiliation to the international REMEX Group.

Linked to the renaming initiative is the extension of business activities. Next to the areas of mineral waste management and remediation services for contaminated land and buildings, REMEX is soon to open its plant for solidification of asbestos-containing waste. The plant uses a unique technology binding the asbestos fibres, so that they can be safely stored in landfills.

At the time of foundation, the company focused on remediation services, but soon widened its scope, including mineral waste disposal, recycling and logistics. The latter is a business area in which we work closely together with the RHENUS Group, which, like REMEX, is part of the worldwide REMONDIS network.

Erwin Pieters, Director of HEROS Sluiskil B.V.

With Erwin Pieters, HEROS Sluiskil B.V., the Dutch subsidiary of REMEX Mineralstoff GmbH, has contracted an additional director as an integral part of its long-term strategy. Mr. Pieters will add his expertise to the existing team of directors, consisting of Arie de Bode and Jan Kappetein.

An alumni from the University College of Hasselt (Belgium), Pieters started out as a successful independent entrepreneur. He eventually sold his business and after a short period at Steelcase-Strafor, he moved to the Van Gansewinkel Group in 1994. Here, he held several leading posts, among them Commercial Director International and Director of the recycling companies VG Minerals and Maltha Glass. He has also been active across central Europe for Van Gansewinkel.

After 21 years, the scope of change across the industry has inspired Mr. Pieters to accept a position on the managing board of HEROS. It is a significant step that promises interesting development opportunities. Because “HEROS has a competitive advantage in regard to experience and technology, with its own site, that is strategically and ideally positioned for international activities. Instead of trying to get more out of less, HEROS is investing in new business developments and growing”.

From early on, HEROS has secured its long-term role in meeting the ambitious Dutch targets set within the national Green Deal. That is why, in the last years, the company has built up a significant technological advantage in regard to the recovery of raw materials from mineral waste – be it valuable metals or the mineral fraction.

The new technologies that are developed and tested at HEROS Sluiskil – which handles up to 650,000 tons of incinerator bottom ash per year – have already raised international interest and will soon be implemented not only within REMEX but also outside the Group. The market leader in the Netherlands is set to show its international competitiveness and will support this with a major marketing initiative. more

As part of the REMONDIS Group, international REMEX customers profit from the Group’s expertise in various areas of recycling. ReFood, the German based expert on recycling food residues, is also part our network. When we were asked by the National Environment Agency of Singapore to help organize a visit to Germany, we asked ReFood, to give a tour of their plant in Hüttenfeld, Germany.

ReFood collects various kinds of food residues from e.g. restaurants, hotels, food producers and food stores. With around 60,000 customers in Germany the company is a reliable partner in the market. Through processing in their high-tech plants, the food waste is turned into sustainable products like biomass for incineration, bio diesel or organic fertilizer – reducing waste to a minimum.

The Singaporean delegation used the opportunity and also visited the world’s biggest recycling fair, the IFAT 2016 in Munich. Here, Mr. Stoll, Chief Executive Officer of REMEX Mineralstoff GmbH, received the delegation, which was headed by Dr. Amy Khor, Senior Minister of State in the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources.

Singapore is looking worldwide for solutions supporting a zero-waste economy and REMEX – due to its engagement in Singapore – is supporting the government in its efforts by supplying not only its own expertise but also best practice information and contacts from Germany and abroad.

granova^® HYDROMIX

REMEX processing methods stand for high metal recovery; but our group is also constantly working on the best ways to recycle the mineral fraction from incinerator bottom ash (IBA). Here, REMEX has developed additional processing techniques that produce high quality aggregates, sold under the international granova^® brand.

Our TRIPLE M unit produces a sustainable aggregate that serves as partial substitute for primary building materials. After treatment in our central processing unit, the material of the grain size 2/12 mm is passed through a special sieve designed for additional cleaning. Magnetic and eddy current separators remove any further ferrous and non-ferrous metals. The resulting granova^® granulate is of interest to the asphalt and concrete industry.

With our Hydro Mechanical Treatment (HMT) we produce granova^® HYDROMIX. By means of a combined washing and crushing facility, the quality of the bottom ash is verifiably enhanced. The pollution levels are reduced, which can be seen from better eluate values. The treatment removes the sludge fractions and organic components. The remaining sandy and coarse fraction is proportionally mixed and provided with an additive. The result is a material that can be used without additional environmental safeguards.

Watch the 360 degree animations here to get an impression of our new technology or read more in our brochure.