A sustainable revolution in construction

Concrete is the most commonly used material in construction. However, the availability of high-quality natural aggregates needed for concrete production is decreasing.

With MasterSuna RCA, an innovative technology comes into play. The patented admixture solution makes it possible to produce concrete with 100% recycled aggregates without compromising on workability retention. Thus, the exploitation of natural resources is significantly reduced.

“With MasterSuna RCA, we can produce concrete mixes from 100% recycled aggregates.”

Jiří Fiala, Head of Technological Department,
ERC-TECH

Olomouc, Czech Republic

Natural aggregates are an important component in concrete production. However, the easy availability of high-quality natural aggregates has declined in recent years. Furthermore, the mining of aggregates has a major impact on the landscape and the surrounding ecosystems and people. An innovative pilot project in the Czech Republic is now breaking new ground. Together, construction experts from Skanska,
ERC-TECH, and Master Builders Solutions have set themselves a goal: to replace natural aggregates with recycled ones, thus closing the loop in concrete production and creating sustainable performance based on circular economy.

Quantified Sustainable Benefits

The use of the new MasterSuna RCA provides Skanska with considerable quantifiable sustainable benefits. In numbers:

15%

Cost reduction

Lower concrete cost in use due to optimized exploitation of raw materials.*Figures provided are based on an actual case from Skanska in cooperation with ERC-TECH, Czech Republic.

10%

Reduced CO2 footprint

Since recycled aggregates are often located near cities, transports are reduced.*Figures provided are based on an actual case from Skanska in cooperation with ERC-TECH, Czech Republic.

120 minutes

Workability retention

This ensures that there is enough time to process the concrete – while maintaining the same quality.*Figures provided are based on an actual case from Skanska in cooperation with ERC-TECH, Czech Republic.

“Our philosophy is to replace natural aggregates with recycled aggregates.”

Bohuslav Slánský, Head of Technical Development and Innovation, Skanska Central Europe

Bohuslav Slánský leads the technical development at Skanska Central Europe, one of the leading construction companies in Europe. “Recycled aggregate is inherently more porous and absorbent,” says Slánský, “which affects the consistency of the concrete made from it and its workability.” That is why Skanska needs a special admixture. The patented MasterSuna RCA superplasticizer is optimized for concrete production with up to 100% recycled aggregates. “Those can be obtained from waste materials such as brick mixes, crushed concrete, or ceramics without the additional use of sand or gravel,” adds Jiří Fiala, Head of Technological Department at ERC‑TECH. They are processed following a dedicated procedure developed by ERC-TECH.

“Environmental damage is reduced and the landscape is preserved for future generations.”

Vladislav Trefil, Market Manager, Master Builders Solutions Czech Republic & Slovakia

MasterSuna RCA is one of the latest innovations from Master Builders Solutions. “The uniqueness of MasterSuna RCA is that we can now improve the consistency of the concrete and guarantee a processing time of up to 120 minutes, which was not possible so far,” explains Vladislav Trefil. The benefits of the product have been proven in several pilot projects. “When we have tried to calculate the material savings, we have achieved savings between 10 and 20%,” confirms Bohuslav Slánský. At the same time, the CO2 footprint is reduced by up to 10%, as the sources of recyclable construction waste are often located in urban areas, thus reducing the number of transports.