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Giving ash a new life: Circular solutions for a low-carbon future
The increase in municipal solid waste (MSW) in the past decades is a major environmental and societal concern. Waste management technologies have continuously improved to recycle and manage waste to minimise the impacts on the environment. Nevertheless, a large proportion of our waste cannot effectively be recycled. The incineration of MSW for energy recovery is an effective way to utilise the so called “non-recyclable” portion, reduce waste volume and replace fossil fuels to generate energy for our society. A key by-product of this process is incinerator bottom ash (IBA) – the residue left after incineration of solid waste.
At Blue Phoenix, we help the world close the loop on waste by delivering safe, efficient, and fully compliant IBA processing services. Our incinerator bottom ash processing solutions transform residues from energy-from-waste (EfW) plants into valuable secondary raw materials that can be used in road construction and other infrastructure projects — reducing landfill use, conserving natural resources, and supporting a low-carbon future.
Flexible, customer-oriented service
Blue Phoenix has developed a suite of solutions tailored to meet the specific needs of our partners and adapt to each situation to give materials a new life.
Patented technology
We combine in-house developed patented technology with industry-standard equipment, supported by our R&D team focused on optimising performance and product quality. Within our company, we have developed patented ballistic separation and IBA washing technologies that are proven technologies today.
High metal recovery
Our advanced separation systems extract ferrous and non-ferrous metals efficiently, achieving recovery rates of up to 99% and returning them to manufacturing supply chains. An innovative approach to processing ensures that these materials are sorted into various sizes with precision, making them ideal for a wide range of applications.
Mobile IBA Recycling Plant – at your location
Designed for reliability and performance, our mobile recycling plant brings the ash recycling solution to your location and integrates seamlessly into any existing plant or monofill operations. We offer an end-to-end ash recycling solution or modular components to improve existing recycling rates and performance.
How we transform IBA into resources
Consumption & Municipal Solid Waste
It starts with the household and commercial waste collection and transportation to material recovery facility (MERF). Recyclable materials are separated at the MERF, while the non-recyclable fraction is sent to an EfW plant.
Energy Recovery and IBA production
At the EfW facility, waste is combusted in a solid waste incinerator, generating electricity and heat. A quarter of the initial mass is transformed into incinerator bottom ash (IBA). The bottom ash from waste incineration is collected for processing.
IBA Processing at Blue Phoenix
At Blue Phoenix we process the ash, recover metals, and screen and sort aggregates by particle size to meet construction standards.
Supplying Secondary Materials
Our IBA aggregates are supplied to infrastructure companies as raw materials for use in road subbases, capping layers, and concrete applications.
Application in construction projects
These recycled IBA aggregates support construction projects within cities, closing the recycling loop and reducing demand for virgin resources.
From IBA to secondary materials: IBA Aggregates
The main product of our IBA process is IBA Aggregate — a high-quality secondary material used as sustainable construction products. These aggregates provide a sustainable alternative to primary materials in road bases, and other civil engineering applications.
Metal sorting
The process chain at Blue Phoenix does not end after processing but goes one step further. Retrieved Metals including the major fractions of copper, brass, zinc, stainless and aluminium, are sent to our metals plant, cleaned and separated into different metal fractions. Technology in our metal plant ensures we can offer the highest grades of metals, suitable for use in the automotive and electronic industry. Metals are sold directly to smelters or industries that want to replace virgin metal materials with recycled.
Environmental Benefits of IBA Processing
Our approach to incinerator bottom ash recycling is driven by a commitment to the circular economy and a responsibility to reduce the environmental burden of waste disposal. Instead of viewing bottom ash as a residual by-product to be discarded, we see it as a valuable resource waiting to be recovered.
Through our process, metals are extracted and reintroduced into manufacturing, eliminating the need for further mining and its associated environmental impacts. By producing recycled aggregates, we lower the carbon emissions of construction projects and reduce dependence on quarrying, and because our process diverts significant volumes of IBA from landfill, it prevents the long-term environmental issues associated with disposal, like unnecessary land use. Learn more about our sustainability impact here.
Contact our experts today!
Partner with Blue Phoenix for efficient, reliable, and sustainable incinerator bottom ash processing. Our global expertise, innovative technology, and dedication to quality make us the trusted choice for our partners.