NEWS: DBU supports Tübingen startup

Osnabrück/Tübingen. According to the Federal Environment Agency, around 86 million tonnes of rubble and waste are generated on construction sites in Germany every year. These materials often end up in landfills. However, this means valuable resources are lost. The solution: high-quality recycling of the rubble prevents climate-damaging emissions and keeps valuable materials in the recycling loop – and with certified equivalent quality. To automate the recycling of material in the construction sector, the startup Optocycle from Tübingen is developing a system for real-time monitoring based on artificial intelligence (AI). The German Federal Environmental Foundation (DBU) is funding the project with around 170,000 euros.

Real-time quality monitoring in the production of recycled aggregates

More environmental protection in the construction industry: The team from the startup Optocycle (image) from Tübingen is developing an AI-supported process for recycling construction waste. The German Federal Environmental Foundation (DBU) is funding the project with around 170,000 euros.

The Optocycle team is delighted about the renewed DBU funding ©Optocycle GmbH

DBU Secretary General Alexander Bonde sees great potential for more environmental protection in the construction industry. Here, medium-sized enterprises with innovative solutions could act as role models. Bonde: "The construction of new buildings already follows clear guidelines for more efficiency and sustainability. The same must be taken into account in future after the demolition of houses and structures." The startup Optocycle GmbH from Tübingen provides an approach for this. As part of the DBU Green Startup Funding, they have developed an AI-based system for the automatic, reproducible classification of construction waste. Building on this, a prototype is now to enable the real-time monitoring of RC aggregates, i.e. recycled aggregates from construction waste. The DBU is funding the project with around 170,000 euros. Optocycle co-founder Max-Frederick Gerken: "Currently, the processing of construction rubble in the industry is mostly based on subjective estimates." The final product is also only checked in the laboratory on a random sample basis. According to Gerken, the Optocycle system enables "real-time monitoring of recycled aggregates. This allows the quality of the aggregate to be improved and more material to be transferred to concrete production," says Gerken.

Less waste in landfill

According to Gerken, the system combines modern optical sensor technology with artificial intelligence – thereby solving a well-known problem in the construction industry. The startup co-founder: "At present, the quality of recycled raw materials often fluctuates. On the one hand, this represents a financial risk for companies and, on the other hand, leads to the loss of valuable materials." With the help of its development, Optocycle expects a 20 percent higher volume of recycled, high-quality aggregates and 15 percent fewer waste residues that would otherwise end up in landfills. To achieve this, according to Gerken, both the incoming rubble is "optimally classified" and the result is transparently verified. The cooperation partner is Heinrich Feeß GmbH, which, according to Gerken, has been working with Optocycle for many years. The co-founder continues: "The technology makes a contribution to the circular economy in construction. We help to improve the quality of secondary raw materials recovered from construction waste. This solution can also be transferred to all waste streams in the future."

Simple retrofitting in existing construction waste recycling plants

According to Gerken, Optocycle's system can be installed directly into existing construction waste processing plants – "directly above the conveyor belt." This simple retrofitting saves costs and enables the rapid implementation of innovative construction waste recycling. "Because only if recycling is financially viable can the circular economy succeed in the construction industry," says Gerken – an approach that was already at the forefront of the startup funding by the DBU. Here, the developed system impressed with its high accuracy in classifying different construction waste. According to Gerken, the aim now is to build on this in order to make the circular economy in concrete production more attractive with high-quality secondary raw materials.

Every good solution provides massive relief for the climate

First demolition, then recycling: Around 86 million tonnes of construction waste are generated across Germany every year. For its reuse, Optocycle is developing a sophisticated process with around 170,000 euros in funding from the German Federal Environmental Foundation (DBU).

According to the responsible DBU consultant Dr Volker Berding, the circular economy in the construction industry has important effects on climate protection: "The production of more and more new concrete causes high emissions of climate-damaging greenhouse gases." According to a WWF study, the production of cement, the main component of concrete, accounts for eight percent of total global greenhouse gas emissions. Berding: "Everything that contributes to a reduction in emissions therefore already has a major effect on climate protection." However, a circular economy only works "if the secondary raw materials do not differ in quality from new production. Optocycle can take exactly this step with a scalable, optimised prototype."