Versatile CDE Wash Plant boosts Circular Economy in France
CDE, a global leader in sand and aggregate washing solutions, has teamed up with Entreprise Spiess to launch an innovative recycling facility in North-eastern France.
This state-of-the-art plant, located in central Alsace, is designed to wash both natural products and construction and excavation waste, marking a significant step forward for the region’s circular economy.
Driving Sustainability in Construction
Based in Lingolsheim, near Strasbourg, Entreprise Spiess has been at the forefront of material recycling, public and private construction works, and equipment rental since its founding in 1977. Working with national and regional public works companies, local builders, developers, and authorities, the family-run business has long been committed to sustainable practices.
With CDE’s advanced waste recycling solution, the company has expanded its operations to recycle excavation waste at its Sablière Oesch site, a sand and gravel quarry strategically positioned near the major transport routes of the Strasbourg Eurometropolis.
The commissioning of this new 130tph plant is one of the largest capital investments in Entreprise Spiess’s history. Jean-Michel Spiess, CEO of Entreprise Spiess, sees it as a milestone in the company’s journey towards greater sustainability: “This new activity accelerates the development of our recycling business. We’ve been really impressed by CDE’s dedication to understand where we are as a family business and where we’re going so that the solution in place today can help deliver on short-term objectives that feed into long-term goals, both for Entreprise Spiess and for the circular economy in our region.”
A Future-Proof Solution
Commissioned in March this year and supported by Climaxion—a programme created by Ademe and Région Grand Est to promote eco-responsibility—the new plant is strategically located in the Strasbourg Eurometropolis, allowing Entreprise Spiess to tap into major construction projects in the area.
Jean-Michel Spiess highlighted the site’s significance: “Our Sablière Oesch site is a strategic location in the Strasbourg Eurometropolis, close to major roads, where we have invested for the future in order to make a lasting contribution.”
Designed with versatility and efficiency at its core, the plant is capable of processing both excavated soils and natural materials, including sand and gravel from nearby quarries. The innovative design ensures efficient waste management and the production of high-quality construction materials, all while reducing the consumption of natural resources.
CDE’s solution enables Entreprise Spiess to responsibly manage waste streams from its construction activities and limit the use of virgin materials.
Technological Advancements for Efficient Processing
The backbone of the new plant is CDE’s AggMax™ scrubbing and classification system, which combines pre-screening, washing, scrubbing, organics removal, and sizing on a compact chassis. This system produces a range of washed and graded aggregates ready for market straight from the belt. The plant also integrates three CDE EvoWash™ sand washing systems, one of which includes the Counter Flow Classification Unit (CFCU) to recover various construction sands. These systems, combined with CDE’s ShearClean™ attrition cells and organics screen, maximise fines recovery and ensure consistently graded sand products.
The plant’s water management and recycling capabilities are equally impressive. Featuring CDE’s AquaCycle™ thickener, a filter press, and a series of buffer and water storage tanks, the system ensures that process water is recovered and reused efficiently, underscoring the plant’s commitment to sustainability.
Future-ready, the wash plant also includes intelligent de-stocking by radial conveyors, allowing for differentiated storage of final products. This optimises space on-site and ensures that materials are accurately separated, improving operational efficiency. CDE’s SmartTech provides real-time data analysis, helping Entreprise Spiess monitor plant performance and make informed decisions to maximise productivity. CDE’s OptiMax technology further enhances operations by advising on loading strategies based on live material data, boosting performance and reducing downtime.
High-Quality, Eco-Friendly Products
Since its commissioning, the wash plant has processed a mix of excavated soils and natural materials, producing 10,000 tonnes of output within its first two weeks and over 50,000 tonnes by the end of its first three months. Madeline Spiess, co-director of Entreprise Spiess, shared the company’s ambitious goals: “Our goal is to process over 200,000 tonnes of inert waste per year. The eco-materials, sands and aggregates, we’re producing are 100% recycled and have a positive environmental impact. They’re like-for-like in terms of quality when compared to their natural counterparts, but they’re much more environmentally friendly and are helping to ease pressure on fast depleting finite natural resources.”
Entreprise Spiess’s product line includes washed eco-sands and eco-aggregates in various sizes, such as 0-1mm, 0-2mm, and 0-4mm for sands, and 4-8mm, 8-16mm, 16-32mm, and 32-80mm for aggregates. These eco-products are supporting major civil engineering, infrastructure, and public works projects, while their natural materials meet CE standards for concrete production.
Madeline Spiess reflected on the company’s journey to this point, noting that the partnership with CDE was solidified after years of careful planning: “We took some time through the pandemic to fine-tune our wants for the future of the business and needs for the recycling activity after initially meeting CDE in 2019. Once we reconnected in bauma three years later, we began working on this project together. Having CDE’s technology and resources at our fingertips has made this entire process so efficient.”
A Strategic Location for a Sustainable Future
Regis Marty, CDE’s business development manager for France, Switzerland, and Belgium, emphasised the strategic advantage of the plant’s location in the Strasbourg Eurometropolis, which enables Entreprise Spiess to efficiently serve multiple markets. “Thanks to its strategic location in the Strasbourg Eurometropolis, close to construction sites, Entreprise Spiess is able to receive and process material, and supply products, including its new range of eco-material. This strategic location will undoubtedly make Entreprise Spiess and its new plant key players when it comes to advancing the circular economy in the region.”
CDE’s technology continues to set the benchmark for sustainable practices in the industry, allowing companies like Entreprise Spiess to recover valuable products from waste streams, reduce reliance on natural resources, and support the growing demand for eco-friendly construction materials.
