Circular Economy Examples

Learn circular economy examples and how a company in Slovenia took advantage of the circular economy using a Fibo batching plant

 Circular Economy Examples – A Case Story in Slovenia

Circular economy is one of the biggest challenges, as well as one of the most exciting opportunities for business today.

The Earth’s resources are not limitless. We need to move beyond economic models that only take new production into account, towards having recycling, cradle to cradle and circular use of resources thought into every investment decision.

Nigrad d.o.o.

Nigrad d.o.o. is a utility company, established in 1857 in the Municipality of Maribor and acts as a fundamental maintenance and construction company in the city. Nigrad`s core business is the maintenance of public transport areas, streets, squares, and roads with related facilities and devices. Also the maintenance of public sewerage, public lighting, traffic light system, and the implementation of construction and other works for municipal infrastructure needs.

Following its strategy, the company Nigrad d.o.o is committed to finding solutions for more responsible management and protection of the environment, which is represented by the European recognizable model of the circular economy.

Nigrad d.o.o. has been an important partner of the Municipality of Maribor, acting especially intensely in the field of the use of secondary raw materials and in bringing new, innovative technologies and processes to the construction sector in the city.

Maribor is the first Slovenian municipality with an approved circular economy strategy. The basic idea of the Strategy for the transition of the City of Maribor to the circular economy is its innovative model, as a system for managing all the resources available in the Municipality of Maribor and the wider urban area.

The Challenge

Nigrad d.o.o. is a partner in the CINDERELA project. The CINDERELA project aims to untap this potential by developing and demonstrating a new business model (CinderCEBM) to assist companies in setting up successful circular economy business cases based on waste-to-resource opportunities. CINDERELA receives funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program.

In August 2020, the Institute for Spatial Policies (IPOP) published a call for Cities to cities, where municipalities and public companies were invited to share their good practices of sustainable urban development.

Nigrad d.o.o applied, and the evaluation committee selected the proposal to go ahead. The proposal was to build a circular economy by using recycled aggregates for manufacturing concrete building blocks.

B1200 Marine Concrete Batching

The Solution

The solution was to purchase a concrete batching plant and concrete block moulds. The blocks are then sold back to the construction sector.

The blocks build material bay walls, buildings, retaining walls, pile mats, river erosion protection, farm buildings and lots more.

SVET STROJEV doo offers one-stop-shopping of all necessary equipment.

The CINDERELA project supported the purchase of the concrete batching plant blocks moulds and the loading vehicles.

The pilot production plant is producing the following four groups of SRM-based products:

  • Recycled aggregates
  • Geotechnical composites
  • Green concrete
  • Recycled soil

A comprehensive system of recovery and monitoring of mass flows is envisaged for the processing of waste before treatment.

Nigrad d.o.o. produced their first green blocks for separation units made of recycled aggregates in Dogoše on November 13, 2020. These will later be used for the construction of a small demo facility and the construction of concrete partition walls at the landfill to separate aggregates.

The recipes to produce green concrete were prepared by Nigrad’s project partner, the Slovenian National Building and Civil Engineering Institute (ZAG), based on previous laboratory tests of delivered samples of various secondary raw materials. 

B1200 Marine Concrete Batching
B1200 Marine Concrete Batching

Mobile Concrete Batching Plant B1800

The B-model is a wheel-mounted, mobile concrete batching plant registered to be pulled like an agricultural trailer.

The B-model is often preferred in those construction areas that are usually required to change location, more than once a year, or where the project spreads over a larger area. The plant can be moved from site to site very easily maximising productivity and plant utilisation.

Our product range of B-models is comprised of four types of different capacities 500, 1200, 1800 and 2200 Liters.

The B-model is a mobile concrete batching plant with 2 hoppers. Built on a solid frame, with wheels and a pulling hook that allow for easy moveability. The batching plant features different size mixers, very precise dosing, and many options to produce any kind of concrete required.

As a result, Fibo Intercon mobile batching plant will precisely produce the required amount of concrete, without waste of time or materials.

Marine Concrete Batching

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