The VALODEB project in a nutshell

VALODEB's main challenge is to convert excavated soil, often considered as waste, into innovative, reusable materials for the construction industry. In France, some 240 million tonnes of waste are generated every year by the construction and public works sector, mainly during earthworks, deconstruction and rehabilitation work. However, once characterized and processed, this inert soil can be a valuable resource.
GENDROT TP, a company specializing in earthworks and selective deconstruction, intends to take up this challenge, in collaboration with the Cyclann unit at UniLaSalle Rennes.

Three pillars for innovation in excavated soil management

These three pillars define the project's approach to characterizing, enhancing and exploring the properties of excavated earth, so as to help overcome the scientific, technical and normative challenges associated with its use in raw earth construction.

1/ Characterization of Excavated Soils: assessing their variability, focusing on aspects such as argillosity, water content, granulometric homogeneity and mixing possibilities to improve material properties.

2/ Valorization in raw earth construction: valorizing GENDROT TP's excavated earth in the raw earth construction sector. The study also looks at ways of using coarser fractions as a substitute for quarry materials.

3/ Research and development issues related to the use of soil as a resource. This includes assessment of :

• The variability of raw materials,
• Defining precise protocols for assessing material performance in raw earth construction,
• Understanding sorption/desorption kinetics,
• Improving sorting techniques,
• The impact of innovative materials on the thermal behavior of buildings,
• The need for specific protocols in the absence of precise standards in the field.

What's next?

One of the next steps will be to develop the recovery methods explored and initiated by the VALODEB project into new, reliable resources.