Concrete and aggregates

Duke Energy to recycle coal ash from North Carolina basins

Duke Energy, Charlotte, North Carolina, has announced plans to remove coal ash from three basins at the Buck Steam Station in Salisbury, North Carolina, and safely recycle the valuable material for concrete.

More than half of the concrete produced in the U.S. contains coal ash. Much of the ash stored in basins has too much carbon to be used in concrete products. To make coal ash more suitable for recycling, Duke Energy is making additional, significant investments in technology designed to reprocess coal ash from basins.

North Carolina’s coal ash law encourages even more recycling and requires the company to install three recycling units across the state, making 900,000 or more tons of material available each year. In 2015, Duke Energy recycled nearly two-thirds of the ash produced across the states it operates in.

The locations for the second and third units are still being evaluated. Next, the company will work with the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality to acquire necessary permits and begin processing material.

Duke Energy’s plan to remove and recycle ash at the Buck facility also addresses the issues in a federal citizen lawsuit brought by the Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC). Both Duke Energy and SELC will make the necessary court filings to dismiss that case.

“This is another important step forward on our path to advance ash basin closure at Buck and builds on our ongoing efforts to close all basins safely and responsibly,” David Fountain, Duke Energy’s North Carolina president.

Virginia concrete recycling facility opens

Nova Recon, has opened a new construction recycling facility in Manassas, Prince William County, Virginia. The facility offers concrete crushing to the construction industry in the metro D.C. area.

Located off Interstate 66, the 6-acre facility features top-of-the-line machinery to process, screen, and sort crushed concrete products. Nova Recon is open 6 days a week and by appointment for contract drop-offs outside of normal operating hours.

Nova Recon also offers on-site crushing services for reclaiming concrete debris at construction sites. Over 140 million tons of concrete are recycled each year. Concrete recycling provides a second life for the rubble generated in construction demolition by creating aggregate that can be reused in various construction applications such as roadways, ready mix concrete, erosion control and landscaping.

Concrete recycling helps keep concrete out of landfills, reduces hauling and construction costs. Nova Recon says it is addressing environmental issues by providing this service with the goal of taking an active role in the local construction recycling industry.

Nova Recon sells the recycled concrete products it produces.