Metal
AREZIKLA
REUSE OF FOUNDRY SANDS IN THE CORE-MANUFACTURING PROCESS
The problem of foundry waste sand in the Basque Country is one of the sector's priorities, as there are no sustainable or viable solutions for managing all the volumes of this waste stream. Around 154,000 tonnes of foundry sands and fines are generated annually in the Basque Country, and the recovery rate is around 35%. Landfill disposal is the predominant management method but estimates for 2030 show a significant shortfall in the capacity to accept such sand. Meanwhile, the new Basque Waste Plan has established a ban on landfill for green moulding sands in December 2023 and for chemical moulding sands in December 2025.
BETSAIDE is an iron foundry located in Elorrio (Bizkaia) with annual production in excess of 70,000 tonnes of liquid metal for which the management of foundry sand represents a major environmental challenge. AREZIKLA has been carried out in collaboration with the AZTERLAN Technology Centre.
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