DUN³ES

DEVELOPMENT AND UPCYCLING OF NATURAL AND NON-NATURAL E-CIRCULAR SANDS

Development of a New, Eco-responsible and Socio-economically Viable Use of Natural Mineral Resources

Sand is a natural resource under pressure. The scientific community now agrees that the global rate of extraction exceeds the natural renewal rate, while construction needs continue to grow, with the global building stock expected to double by 2060. Yet the majority of sand available on earth cannot be directly used in construction, due to unsuitable particle size or excessive chloride, clay or shell content.

This is the context in which the DUN³ES project was born, led by UCLouvain as part of a broader FEDER research portfolio bringing together the Structures & Technologies LAB (Louvain Research Institute for Landscape, Architecture, Built Environment), the IMMC (Institute of Mechanics, Materials and Civil Engineering), the CTP, Buildwise, ULiège and SIRRIS. The project has a twofold ambition: on one hand, to valorise recycled sands and fine fractions currently considered as waste, and on the other, to explore their use through digital manufacturing techniques, particularly 3D printing, in the construction, polymer and glass sectors.

These three sectors were selected because they are strongly represented in Wallonia, are major consumers of sand, and require different sand qualities, thereby enabling the best possible use of all fractions produced through processing.

The UCLouvain-LAB research team works more specifically on analysing the behaviour of these materials in the context of 3D printing, testing various digital manufacturing techniques, and designing systems of printed segmental construction elements, through to prototyping at a 1:2 scale. The project also contributes to the DUN³ES portfolio demonstrator and to the development of the "cobbled concrete" concept from an architectonic perspective.

Beyond the material challenge, the project aims to reduce the carbon footprint of construction, notably by limiting the use of cement, whose production generates nearly one tonne of CO₂ per tonne produced, while aligning with the Walloon strategy for circular materials and the transition towards Industry 4.0.

https://europe.wallonie.be - https://www.enmieux.be/