The study examined the life cycle of machines, which includes recycling.
Consulting firm Frontier Economics, on behalf of equipment manufacturer Liebherr Group, has revealed the results of a life cycle assessment analysis related to greenhouse gas emissions of construction machines equipped with various drive technologies. The study was performed to determine how much CO2 arises from production to operation through to the recycling of the machines.
The aim of the analysis, Liebherr says, was to comprehensively calculate the emissions of the machines and their drives in order to be able to recognize and assess how greenhouse gas emissions can be most effectively reduced. The overall life cycle of the machines was analyzed, from the mining and transport of the raw materials to production and the actual operation of the machine to the disposal and recycling.
“Emissions analyses are generally limited to the operating phase," says Stephen Albrecht, member of the board of directors of Liebherr-International AG. "This is not enough for our products because greenhouse gas emissions also occur in the upstream and downstream phases of construction machines’ lifecycles. To get a complete picture, we examined all stages of the life cycle, including the production of energy and provision of the infrastructure.”
These results of the analysis are then combined in a product carbon footprint, which describes the emissions of a product throughout the entire life cycle.
The study examined three types of construction machines: mobile cranes, truck mixers and wheel loaders. The three types require different drive technologies in order to reduce as much emissions as possible due to their different performance requirements, Liebherr says.
For truck mixers, electric drives make the biggest contribution to emissions reductions provided they use 100 percent renewable electricity for charging.
For mobile cranes, operation with hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) shows the biggest savings potential, although Liebherr says it is important to ensure that the HVO is certified to be produced from plant and food waste and does not contain palm oil. Hydrogen made from CO2 neutral sources follows in second place. In the long term, operation with hydrogen seems optimal as the availability of HVO in the vast quantities required cannot yet be predicted, according to Liebherr. However, until the required hydrogen infrastructure and drive technologies are mature, HVO delivers the best results as an interim technology, particularly in existing fleets with combustion engines.
Wheel loaders should be operated either with a battery electric drive charged with renewable electricity, or with e-fuels.
“The results of the life cycle analysis show that there is no uniform solution for climate-neutral drives of construction machines,” says Albrecht.
Liebherr relies on a technology neutral approach to reduce emissions as much as possible depending on the machine and the application.
Liebherr says its product portfolio, with 13 product segments, illustrates what leads the company to compare various drive technologies. The smallest machines have a power output of 30 killowatts (kW) and the largest have a power output of more than 3,000 kW. All the machines must perform reliably in completely different conditions in diverse applications.
“A wheel loader on an urban construction site, for example, is exposed to different conditions than a mobile crane used in the construction of wind turbines,” says Albrecht. “The former can often be powered by electricity. In contrast, infrastructure projects in rural areas often lack the necessary power supply for an electrical connection. In addition, more energy is often required than can be provided with a battery-operated electric drive.”
Based on the results of the life cycle analysis, Liebherr is in favor of adopting a technology neutral approach in the transformation of the construction industry.
“Effective climate targets and incentives for the construction machinery sector must enable technological diversity so that the most environmentally friendly technology can be used depending on the performance requirements,” says Albrecht.
Vermont is one of the last states in New England to implement an environmental justice policy.
Vermont Gov. Phil Scot has signed the state’s first environmental justice policy into law—joining several other New England states with similar legislation.
The new policy is designed to ease the burden on communities that face disproportionate impacts from environmental stressors such as pollution, natural disasters and the downsides of energy infrastructure or waste facilities.
“It is the policy of the state of Vermont that no segment of the population of the state should, because of its racial, cultural or economic makeup, bear a disproportionate share of environmental burdens or be denied an equitable share of environmental benefits,” the new law states.
The law will create two new advisory groups—an Advisory Council on Environmental Justice and an Interagency Environmental Justice Committee—which will be charged with guiding state agencies toward investing more in impacted communities, VTDigger.com reports.
It will also establish a new mapping tool overseen by the state’s Agency of Natural Resources that would identify communities where environmental burdens “have disproportionate impacts on Vermonters.” Similar methods have been deployed in 17 other states.
More than nine environmental groups across the state have voiced their support for the legislation since it was signed into law, with many providing input during the bill’s drafting process.
Mia Schultz, president of the Rutland Area NAACP, told Vermont Public Radio that the policy marks an important step forward for Vermont.
“It is indisputable that the harmful effects of climate change disproportionately affect marginalized communities, including BIPOC people,” Schultz says. “The principles of an environmental justice law acknowledge and address the injustices of civil rights and seek to rectify the exclusion of the most vulnerable and affected members of society.”
The operation includes a new asphalt shingle recycling facility and the expansion of another shingle plant.
GAF, a Standard Industries manufacturing company based in Parsippany, New Jersey, has announced plans for its initial commercial-scale asphalt shingle recycling operation to reclaim post-consumer shingle waste and support production of the first roofing shingles manufactured with recycled asphalt.
The operation includes a new asphalt shingle recycling center located in Corsicana, Texas, designed to take end-of-life roofing shingles, reclaim 90 percent of the waste material collected and create high-quality recycled asphalt briquettes that can be transported and used in the manufacture of new products. It also includes an expansion to GAF's Ennis, Texas shingle plant, which will allow it to utilize the briquettes to manufacture shingles containing recycled material that meet the same standards for quality and performance as GAF’s other Timberline products.
GAF expects both components to be fully operational by the end of 2023. GAF plans to scale this recycling capability with the ultimate goal of incorporating recycled asphalt content across all GAF shingle products and diverting at least 1 million tons of asphalt shingles annually from landfills by 2030, the company says. Once operations are up and running, the Corsicana facility will be able to divert 300,000 tons of shingle waste from landfills a year, supplying the Ennis plant, and other shingle facilities, with enough recycled asphalt briquettes to produce shingles containing recycled content for more than 660,000 homes each year.
“The breakthrough technology that we have developed not only allows us to create a circular economy for asphalt roofing singles but also creates a product that can be used by any company that requires asphalt as a component of its manufacturing process,” says Jim Schnepper, chief executive officer of GAF. “As leaders in the roofing industry, we have a responsibility to use our expertise and resources to make a positive impact. We are proud of this important milestone, which is good for the industry and the planet.”
About 75 percent of roofs in the U.S. are protected with asphalt shingles, and only about 10 percent of those roofs are reused or recycled, with the rest (13 million tons) ending up in landfills, according to GAF. The company says the shingles from just one roof produce enough recycled material to cover 12 new roofs through its process.
“This is an exciting moment for the city of Corsicana,” says Mayor Don Denbow, city of Corsicana, Texas. “We are proud to have been selected by GAF as the location for their first full-scale recycling facility and to be at the forefront of innovation and sustainability in the roofing industry. The work that will be done in Corsicana will have a positive impact for generations to come.”
“GAF is a tremendous partner bringing capital investment and good jobs to our community. We are honored to have Ennis selected for this milestone expansion project,” says Mayor Angeline Juenemann, city of Ennis, Texas. “The city of Ennis is a city that cares about our environment, being a part of the innovative work GAF is doing to address a major sustainability issue is a privilege we don’t take lightly.”
The next generation machine features low-cost operation and maintenance, as well as a "must have" E-drive option.
At IFAT in Munich, M&J Recycling, Horsens, Denmark, reports attendees expressed particular interest in the company’s latest addition—the modular M&J P250 preshredder, which is the next generation of the former flagship M&J 4000S.
“The visitors to our stand were very excited about our new, modular preshredder. Understandably, everyone in the industry has a strong focus on avoiding long and expensive downtime, so easy maintenance is a super important competitive parameter,” M&J Recycling CEO Uffe Hansen says. “And our E-drive option will be a ‘must have’ for many customers. We are extremely pleased with the reception of the M&J P250 and feel convinced that it will quickly gain a foothold in the market.”
M&J Recycling is a global green-tech company focused on manufacturing shredders for the waste management industry.
The preshredder's modular design costs less to operate and maintain than competitors. The individual parts can be dismantled quickly and easily, saving time and money on servicing the machine, as well as ongoing maintenance.
All the parts on the M&J P250 can be quickly removed and replaced, if necessary, and the modular design also has the advantage that operators only have to replace the parts that are actually worn. This ensures high uptime in production and large savings because fewer hours and spare parts are spent on maintenance and service. The modular design also makes the service work on the machine safer and work-friendly.
Another highlight at IFAT for M&J Recycling was presenting eFactor3 President Hartmut Bendfeldt the 2021 M&J Partner Award.
“EFactor3 has made great decisions and achieved outstanding results as our sales and service partner in the USA,” M&J Recycling Commercial Director Morten Kiil Rasmussen says.
European material handling equipment supplier will sell off Russian operations.
Finland-based material handling equipment maker Mantsinen Group says it is “in the process of divesting our Russian businesses and [is] negotiating the sale of our subsidiaries.”
The company, which bills itself as “the largest hydraulic material handling machines and cranes in the world,” says it has been active in Russia for almost 25 years. Mantsinen says it ceased export operations to Russia “immediately after Russia began a war of aggression into Ukraine.”
The firm says shortly thereafter it also “began to investigate different options for continuation of operations of the Russian subsidiaries” before reaching the decision to divest.
“The main objective is to ensure a good solution for the Mantsinen Group and to ensure continuity for our local teams and customers,” says Mia Mantsinen, the company’s CEO.
The firm says, “In the future, Russian companies will operate as independent companies and under a new name. Mantsinen Group will not continue its own operations in Russia after the sale of the companies. After the change, the group’s only subsidiary is Mantsinen Sverige Ab in Sweden.”