2020 - 2023: Cross-border European project for the creation of cast-in-place concrete, composed of shellfish waste and with draining properties.

Both climate change and increasing urbanisation of European cities is making the management of rainwater and runoff a major challenge. The percentage of impermeable surface in the natural setting is < 10%; in cities it is >75%, only allowing an overall water infiltration of ~10%. This creates challenges for city planners such as: environmental risks of localised flooding, personal insecurity due to flood damage and considerable pollution of the natural environment. Europe is now facing more extreme weather with increased rainfall over shorter periods.
One solution is the drainage from surface structures. However, the current use of permeable surfaces is rare, expensive to install and less resilient than impermeable ones. Many permeable surface generate economic activity that contributes to the depletion of natural resources (aggregates). This project aims to develop a solution to limit the environmental and carbon impacts by using a recycling waste product.

Genesis of the CIRCLE project "Concrete solutIon draIning for the CLimate Environment"

Following conclusive experiments at ESITC Caen on the recovery of shell co-products in concrete to produce permeable paving, and new waste sources identified on the UK and FR coasts of the Channel, 

After conclusive experiments at ESITC Caen on the recovery of shellfish co-products in concrete to produce permeable paving stones, and new sources of waste identified on the UK and FR coasts of the Channel, ESITC Caen, coordinator of the CIRCLE project, wanted to surround itself with academic, industrial and local authority partners on both sides of the Channel in order to facilitate the marketing of the innovative product developed in the laboratory and to test it through numerous pilot zones in the UK and France with very different functionalities.

• Bicycle path (Eurovéloroute V4 - North of France)
• Parvis (Ostreapolis - South-Britanny)
• Car park (Adjustable blocks - tUniversity of Central Lancashire)

Project partners

This project is financially supported by the Interreg V/A France(Channel)England with 2.1M(E) for a total budget of around 3.0M(E) (69% co-financing). It brings together 6 complementary partners (including one from outside the FCE area): ESITC Caen, EQIOM Bétons, the Communauté d'Agglomérations des 2 Baies en Montreuillois (CA2BM), the University of East Anglia, the University of Central Lancashire and the Golfe du Morbihan Vannes Agglomérations (GMVA).