MAXAM
RECEX: reciclying energy
2011.09.06
Press room - News - RECEX: reciclying energy
An innovative and sustainable project that will allow the recovery of explosive contents in waste, recycling them into a new high-energy product.
The explosive products, once they’ve expired or have falling in disuse, not only do they lose their utility, but they become hazardous waste that must be properly treated. How to manage this is a particularly important issue for Governments, as armies accumulate a great amount of materials of these characteristics in stock, the so-called war reserves.
The treatment and final destination that has been given to this waste has evolved over time. In the beginning the ecological alternative had never been contemplated and it was simply thrown into the open sea. Luckily today, there is a clear and strict environmental regulation that dictates the procedures to follow in the management of these explosives: normally, controlled heat treatment – incineration- addressed to inert and eliminate the explosive considered waste.
Unpacking of obsolete munitions previous to
the demilitarization process.
the demilitarization process.
EXPAL, expert in the management of obsolete explosives, has come across the need to include this hazardous waste in the recycling philosophy, and they have asked themselves if is it possible to carry out a sustainable management of the explosives they contain, taking full advantage of their energy and components. The answer is found in the RECEX project, aimed to develop new technologies based on recycled explosives, in the manufacturing of high quality energy materials, not only reliable but also achievable at a competitive cost. New compositions will be applied in the civil life; in the field of engineering and construction, mining, demolitions, hunting, etc. The development of the project, in collaboration with the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, will last two and a half years and is estimated it will be capable of recycling 2,000 tons of explosives per year.
RECEX involves a qualitative and very positive change in the life-cycle of the explosive by incorporating the concept of sustainability, replacing “disposal” for that of recycling. As Manuel García- Sañudo, Managing Director of EXPAL says: "The RECEX project allows us to comply in the aim of reducing the environmental footprint in the processes of destruction of explosives for military use, allowing us to give a new opportunity to those explosives that have expired, and creating new products that will take advantage of the energy contained in the waste, this way producing benefits for the society".
As part of MAXAM, EXPAL counts with the technology, facilities and qualified manpower to deal with this project. The operations will be held in the four demilitarization plants EXPAL owns in Europe, as well as in the new facilities that will be built in Burgos. This facility will be dedicated to the extraction and recycling of the explosive and will play an important role in the framework of the project. It is estimated that by 2013 it will be possible to offer civil multipliers of enhanced sensitivity, plastic explosives and recycled explosives.
Development of boosters testings.
Development of boosters testings.
RECEX will be a remarkable solution for the Ministry of Defence, they will be able to count on EXPAL’s management to carry out the elimination of ammunition, either obsolete or in disuse, under safe and reliable conditions and under the premises of sustainability, and also re-using part of their elements for civil purposes. Finally, and to end with, this is a project that involves the creation of value, not only by generating jobs, but because it decisively incorporates the environmental asset to the management of obsolete explosives, with the recycling of up to 99% of the explosive and 90% of the materials.
This project has been financed by the INNPACTO 2010 program, which is sponsored by the Ministry of Science and Innovation, with additional underwriting by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), registered according to file number: IPT-020000-2010-22.
This project has been financed by the INNPACTO 2010 program, which is sponsored by the Ministry of Science and Innovation, with additional underwriting by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), registered according to file number: IPT-020000-2010-22.
