There has been an increasing emphasis on scientific waste management and environmental protection in the United Arab Emirates. Realising the significant human and environmental hazards that Construction and Demolition (C&D) waste poses, as well as the business opportunities this division presents, Bee’ah, a leading integrated environmental solutions provider based in Sharjah set up an innovative C&D Waste Recycling Facility that has been operational since 2009. It is considered ‘one of the busiest’ C&D facilities in the Middle East, given the rate at which construction and demolition activities have been taking place in the region. The plant processes tons of construction waste for re-use as aggregate for roads, pavements, etc. In the past two years, Bee’ah has ramped up its facilities and projects, and is now focusing on sustainability and innovation in its programmes including the C&D recycling facility. Mohammad Mahmoud Jaradat, Operation Manager, Construction & Demolition Waste (CDW), Bee’ah outlines their plans and current projects that make the facility one-of-a-kind in the Middle East.

Advanced C&D facility

“The plant processes and recycles mineral C&D waste to produce innovative end products from recycled aggregates that match the quality of those produced from virgin material,” Jaradat states, adding that the plant is one of the most sophisticated in the region. He goes on to explain the process in depth, also touching upon the latest advances at the facility. “Bee’ah has a full-fledged team to take care of the operations. Since the start, the plant has been dealing with clean rubble and mineral C&D waste, where a maximum five percent trash is involved, mostly mixed with demolition waste,” he says.

C&D waste screening – Gate check

The process, in effect, starts from check point 1 – the first point of entry to the facility. The vehicles from the municipality of Sharjah, government entities, various private companies and Tandeef, Bee’ah, that deliver the C&D waste line up at the entrance to the complex. “While receiving this material, we have to ensure two things – the batch should not contain any prohibited (hazardous) waste, as they will affect human health as well as the quality of the end product; and all the companies bringing in C&D material must have a valid licence issued by the respective municipalities in order to be eligible to supply the material for processing,” the Operation Manager notes. The classification of material has to be submitted by the companies before they enter check point 1, and Bee’ah’s well trained employees inspect these materials (visual inspection) on arrival at the gate to ensure the loads do not contain any hazardous material (such as asbestos, gypsum, chemicals), before the vehicles are allowed to proceed onward to the next check point. “We believe in sustainable operations and are working towards that goal. We cannot supply to our customers products that do not match our specifications or quality standards,” he highlights. They process all types of mineral C&D, but sometimes they receive some ready-mix material, which is also included under mineral C&D, he states. The certified vehicles then proceed to check point 2, where the construction debris is unloaded. The staff inspect the whole consignment during unloading and in case they identify any prohibited material in the batch, they segregate the same and send it to landfill.

Size reduction – crushing and screening operations

Once the material is accepted, the first step is to sort the material as per the processing plant requirements. “Mineral C&D is mostly clean material, but could contain around 2-5 percent incompatible substances,” Jaradat comments. The workers begin by segregating all the big items, as they could affect the machinery. As for large concrete slabs, they are separated as per the plant requirements – the maximum allowable size of the components being 400mm. 

The first reduction stage in the process is crushing and screening. The material is fed into the primary crusher, which reduces its size from 400mm to 120mm. It then moves along the conveyor belts on to the magnetic separators where all the steel components are separated from the concrete. Following this, it proceeds to the vibrator screen machine. Two stages are involved in the process, with the aid of two different screening machines. “The first machine, which is designed to separate the material as per the size, segregates it for three different sizes.

The output is small fractions of 0-50mm; medium-sized 50-75mm material; and 75-120mm, the big fractions. The smallest fractions move directly to a second screen machine for further segregation into three types – first is the removal of sand (0-5mm); followed by larger fractions of 5-14mm and 14-50mm. The production of all this material is purely based on market requirements,” he enumerates. The medium and bigger fractions obtained move along the conveyor belts to the sorting rooms for removal of the remaining waste components such as wood, plastic, cardboard, film, pvc pipes, etc, (about five percent) that would still be mixed with the C&D material and need to be separated, says Jaradat. At this point, the workers remove different types of scrap and place them in the respective skips.

These are also recyclable materials that are later sold to “both internal and external customers in the market.” The cleaner material is then transported to another crusher for size reduction and the reduced fractions are again put through screening machines for removal of tiny steel parts, nails, etc, that are sometimes lodged in this material. “We have to ensure these harmful components are removed in this output area,” Jaradat stresses. The material then moves forward to screen 3 where it is again segregated in terms of size – 0-10mm; 10-50mm and 50-85mm, as per market requirements. 

Focus on innovation and sustainability

“The operations are easy and smooth as we have a very good team at the facility. But at Bee’ah, our goal is not only to process the C&D waste, but to find ways to make good use of this material.” He says they aim to raise awareness among the communities and demonstrate to them how this C&D material can be used in a sustainable manner, and also contribute to environmental conservation. “In fact, the end products from our C&D facility meet quality specifications of the Abu Dhabi Quality & Conformity Council (QCC) and these recycled aggregates have been certified by the QCC for use in road construction, etc. Our plant also has all necessary certifications which show our commitment to quality and efforts to make improvements all the time,” the Operation Manager states.

New plant to produce interlocks, whole blocks, solid blocks from recycled aggregates Once they received the QCC certification, in 2014, Bee’ah’s top management directed the C&D team to research and identify methods by which they could actually create useful products from recycled aggregates, and they have made remarkable progress in this area. “If the material does not match certain industry standards, we cannot sell it in market. So we started sending the recycled aggregates for testing in municipality and government laboratories. We conducted trials for about a year, and then went on to produce interlocks, whole blocks, solid blocks and kerbstone with the material,” he states. “Usually, the interlock, following the curing period of 28 days reaches almost 41mm2, while our material reached 40mm2 after a 7-day curing period, which means by the normal curing period of 28 days it will reach around 60mm2,” he remarks.

Their aim was to ensure the quality of the interlock and other products made from crushed recycled aggregates matched that of products manufactured from virgin material, and “we are pleased we could achieve that,” adds Jaradat. “This was our first improvement, and we are the first company in the Middle East to achieve this. Bee’ah is in the process of setting up a new plant to produce interlocks, kerbstones and whole blocks, which is the first development,” he underlines. Raw material for Landscaping from recycled aggregates The second development has taken shape in 2016, with Bee’ah looking at landscaping. The company is contemplating the use of recycled aggregate to produce raw material for landscaping. “Generally, people use wood or rubber for landscaping, but the issue with both these materials is that they have an odour and their colour fades away within two or three months,” the Operation Manager opines.

Earlier this year, the team started work on this project on a trial basis, and has finally been able to produce coloured aggregates. It is very important for the material to meet quality standards as prescribed by the government and “we have been able to do that”, he says. This material is washable and they can produce any colour based on the customer’s needs. He says, “We are in a position to provide to the customer a 1-year warranty for the colour and under any weather condition.” Significant development – Treating mixed C&D waste The third advance is “a huge achievement for us” the manager comments.

In the UAE, most of the C&D waste is mixed with trash, “and the trash we talk about amounts to 80-90 percent of the material” – which is the major difference between mineral C&D and mixed material, he elucidates. “In the UAE and the region, there is no plant that can treat mixed material and it is usually sent to landfill.” Over the past two years, their team has been studying as to how they can bring in the right technology to treat this material. This July, they created a machine that is custom designed by Bee’ah and “made in the UAE”, Jaradat states. Right from the technology to the machine and even the process, it is an innovation.

“After we produced the machine, we created our process and by early August we started to treat this material with our new lines. We are still making operational improvements in the line as it is a brand new technology, which is in the trial phase.” This is the most significant development. Mixed C&D includes a varied and complex mix of materials including glass, ceramics, etc, that are difficult to treat. So they needed a solution to remove all those components and retain the C&D material. “Further, there are some material types apart from mixed C&D that are difficult to process. For instance, marble, which is a natural stone, may not affect product quality or health, but it affects the machine. We have been progressing fast with regard to the new technology and with the new line at Bee’ah we can now process marble as well,” he underscores.

The benefits are many. Most of the material generated in the UAE is mixed C&D about 60 percent of which has been going to landfill. But with the introduction of the new technology, he says Bee’ah has reduced, at least by 20 percent, the mixed material going to landfill from Sharjah. Going forward, Jaradat says the company aims to improve further the quality of the recycled material being produced at the facility. “The plant has the capacity to process about 7500 tons of C&D material per day, and at present processes around 6000 tons. Our goal is to process 7000 tons of mineral C&D material by the end of this year. As for mixed C&D, we are first facility in the region that is capable of treating this material,” he proudly states. Bee’ah also plans to extend its services in this sector and share their best practice with other emirates and countries in the region, to encourage other communities to take a sustainable approach to C&D recycling.