ÖBB experiments with the use of ‘climate concrete’
ÖBB has carried out a pilot project for the use of ‘climate concrete’ during construction works on the train station in Bregenz, the company said on Monday. The project involved five technical partners and marked the first time that the Austrian railway company used green concrete.
‘Climate concrete’ differs from regular concrete in that cement is replaced by recycled what the industry calls technical carbon. This is a byproduct of combustion or thermal decomposition processes. It consists mainly of carbon. ÖBB used it for the technical building at the station in Bregenz, where 101 cubic metres was poured. The operator estimates CO2 savings of around 7,660 kilograms as a result.
For the pilot project, ÖBB partnered with Fa. CarStorCon Technologies, Energiewerk, Kopf Kies+Beto, i+R Bau and Structural Research Institute at HTL Rankweil. The latter analysed various types of concrete in the months leading up to the pour.
“I am pleased that through the cooperation with local companies we were able to make a small but important contribution towards climate neutrality of construction sites and I hope that that this contribution will be even greater in the future”, Harald Schreyer, project manager ÖBB-Infrastruktur, said about the pilot.
About the works on the station itself, platform 4/5 will go back into service this month. After the festive period in January, the project will resume with work on the entrances to the station and the main platform. Finally, ÖBB is also working on the Hypo underpass between the city and Lake Constance. The work is scheduled for completion in December 2024.
There are a variety of initiatives ongoing across Europe to reduce the carbon footprint of railway infrastructure construction works, ranging from the use of battery-powered machinery and equipment to recycling of materials and the installation of green sleepers that are manufactured from sulphur-concrete or polymer.
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