HIRAS – The Carbon-Sequestering Building Materials from Finnish Side Streams

The Carbon-Sequestering Building Materials from Finnish Side Streams (HIRAS) project develops low-carbon building products that utilize significant Finnish side streams, such as construction waste and mine tailings, as well as regionally significant side streams from the process industry, such as low-carbon steel slag, biochar and captured carbon dioxide. The project produces valuable information on the long-term durability of products based on side streams in Finnish climatic conditions. During the project, analytics and guidelines related to studying the properties of side streams will be developed to support the wider utilization of side streams.

The project will develop concrete-like composite materials from regional side streams in accordance with the principles of the circular economy, which can be used to manufacture modular building products. Prototype structures will be built from these in cities located in three different regions: Helsinki, Kuopio and Oulu. By monitoring prototype structures, research data on the long-term durability and environmental impacts of side stream-based building products will be produced.

The project will make extensive use of expertise in geochemistry, mineralogy, concrete engineering and geotechnics and will be implemented in collaboration with Aalto University, the Geological Survey of Finland, Savonia University of Applied Sciences and the University of Oulu. Company partners include Sibelco Nordic Oy, SSAB Europe Oy, LKAB Minerals Oy and Carbofex Oy.

The project is co-funded. The project is financed by the implementers, company partners and the EU regional development fund ERDF (Häme ELY Centre).

More information can be found:

Aalto (link)

GTK (link)

Savonia University of Applied Sciences (link)