Commercial production of sewer tubes with Betolar's Geoprime® solution has started in Belgium
Betolar Plc
Press release
16.11.2023
Commercial production of sewer tubes with Betolar's Geoprime® solution has started in Belgium
Installation of sewer tubes made of alkali-activated concrete material (AAM) based on Betolar's Geoprime solution has started at one of Aquafin's sewer projects in Duffel, Belgium. The tubes are manufactured by Betolar's partner Tubobel Group.
The Belgian concrete manufacturer Tubobel Group, together with Betolar, has developed a sewer tube suitable for the needs of the Belgian market. Betolar's Geoprime solution is a climate-friendly alternative to cement.
Aquafin installs approximately 200 kilometres of tubes annually in Flanders region. Rainwater sewers are installed to store, infiltrate or transport rainwater, and they are commonly made of concrete. Wastewater sewers are installed to transport domestic wastewater from municipal sewers to a wastewater treatment plant. Wastewater sewer tubes are currently made of plastic, glazed clay or concrete.
"Aquafin is a big customer in its area. As a public actor, the company encourages manufacturers to invest in sustainable innovations. The materials used in building infrastructure have a significant environmental footprint. Cement traditionally used in concrete production accounts for the vast majority of global CO2 emissions from concrete, around eight per cent. Our solution will help the value chain achieve its environmental goals," said Ville Voipio, Chief Commercial Officer at Betolar.
Industrial side stream material is used as a binder for sewer tubes
The sewer tube manufactured by Tubobel with Geoprime solution uses industrial side streams as a binder, which is alkaliactivated. Using side stream material instead of cement reduces CO2 emissions from the raw material (LCA scope A1-A2) by up to 78 percent compared to conventional concrete. Similarly, as concrete sewer tubes, the Geoprime tubes can be recycled.
Geoprime sewer tubes are intended for buffering and transporting rainwater. Mechanically, they meet the same requirements as ordinary concrete sewer tubes. The sulfuric acid resistance of tubes is currently being researched. Depending on the results of the research, the Geoprime sewer tube is currently only used in stormwater systems. In the future, tubes can also be used in clean water supply systems.
New material has been developed in a partner network
Developing a new material solution has required the involvement of the entire value chain. Tubobel has developed sewer tube production together with Betolar's experts. Aquafin, owned by the regional government, has offered the first construction project in Belgium. The building contractor has been the construction group BESIX, which operates in the Benelux countries.
"We spent a lot of time and energy developing this product. We have found a partner in Aquafin, which will help us achieve our environmental goals. The development of this project has helped us expand our offering of these innovative and environmentally friendly products," says Evert Lemmens, co-CEO of Tubobel.
Betolar and Tubobel signed a commercial agreement last spring.
Betolar Plc
Communications
More information:
Ville Voipio, Chief Commercial Officer, Betolar, tel. +358 50 562 1809, ville.voipio@betolar.com
Anja De Wit, Communications Advisor, Aquafin, tel. +31 485 55 97 95, anja.dewit@aquafin.be
Evert Lemmens, Co-CEO, Tubobel, tel. +31 474 05 17 87, evert.lemmens@tubobel.group
About Betolar
Betolar Plc is a Finnish materials technology company that offers the production of sustainable and low-carbon concrete with the Geoprime solution. The solution converts industrial side streams into a cement substitute.
Betolar's artificial intelligence innovation can significantly reduce CO2 emissions compared to traditional cement-based concrete production by optimizing existing manufacturing processes, supporting solution development with advanced analytics and creating global markets for side streams. Betolar's mission is to help reduce CO2 emissions and the use of virgin raw materials.
Betolar was founded in 2016 and is domiciled in Kannonkoski, Finland. Betolar is listed on the Nasdaq First North Growth Market. More information: www.betolar.com
About Tubobel
The Tubobel Group is the Belgian market leader in the production of high-quality and durable concrete products that contribute to better water management. As an established manufacturer and supplier of sewerage, sewerage, water treatment and paving concrete products, the company is involved in a wide range of infrastructure projects in Belgium. More information: www.tubobel.group
About Aquafin
Aquafin is responsible for financing, developing and operating municipal wastewater treatment infrastructure in Flanders, Belgium. The company treats the wastewater so that it can return clean back to the water system. Aquafin wants to achieve its goals in a socially responsible way. Reducing the ecological footprint and recovering energy and raw materials from wastewater is one of them. More information: https://www.aquafin.be/en
