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| bauma 2019: Sustainability is one of the core topics By its very nature, the construction industry has a very large ecological footprint. At bauma, exhibitors are going to present innovations towards sustainability, resource conservation and environmental protection. Some of the solutions have also been nominated for the bauma Innovation Award. bauma is the world's leading trade fair for construction machinery, building material machines, mining machines, construction vehicles and construction equipment. This year, it will take place from April 8 to 14 at the Munich Exhibition Grounds. The avoidance or reduction of emissions of all kinds remains a major playground for technical innovations and improvements in the construction industry. For example, cold milling of old road pavements produces significant amounts of particulate matter—a hazard to the health of construction site workers, residents and passers-by. "This makes it all the more pleasing that many of the innovations presented at this year's bauma have effects in terms of sustainability, resource conservation and environmental protection, " says bauma Exhibition Director Mareile Kästner. Bomag GmbH from Boppard/Germany, for example, has developed the ion dust shield technology to reduce the amounts of particulate matter. The system is installed in a box attached to the conveyor belt of the milling machine. An extraction system sucks the dust particles through an electric field. They become positively charged and are attracted by the negatively charged housing. This causes the fine dust to clump together permanently into less hazardous coarser particles that can be removed together with the milled material. This environmentally friendly solution has placed Bomag on the list of nominees for the bauma Innovation Award 2019. Binding dust with artificial snow Dusts must also be bound during building demolition, surface mining and loading processes. In countries with extreme weather conditions, it may occur that the usual water mist cannot be used due to icy temperatures. In such a case, the new dust binding machine V22Orca from the company EmiControls from Bolzano/Italy simply produces snow! The dust adheres very well to the flakes produced by this special snow cannon. Being a hybrid with a water mist and a snow mode, the device can be used at temperatures from +50°C to -25°C. Electric drive: Fewer emissions, more efficiency The construction machinery industry is called upon to avoid emissions not only of dust, but also, and especially, of exhaust gases and noise. An increased use of electric drives can make an important contribution in this respect. The Wacker Neuson Group is expanding its product range in this area with the AS60e battery-powered rammer and the AP2560e battery-powered vibratory plate. An interesting detail in terms of handling as well as efficiency: With the two new additions, a total of six products from the Munich-based manufacturer can now be operated with the same interchangeable rechargeable battery, which means that an exchange across machines is possible without problems. Laying high voltage lines without crop damage Under ideal ecological circumstances, the electricity for the operation of the electric engines comes from renewable energy sources. In order to allow the green electricity generated by wind farms, for example, to actually reach every electrical outlet in Germany, the country needs several thousand kilometers of new power lines. The high-voltage direct current transmission lines should primarily be realized as underground cables. Herrenknecht AG from Schwanau/Germany is going to present a new, economical and environmentally friendly laying method at bauma 2019. The modified E-Power Pipe drilling technology enables trenchless laying of cable conduits across comparatively long distances of more than one kilometer close to the surface at a depth of two to four meters. This minimizes interference with the landscape. The jury found this solution worthy of a nomination for the bauma Innovation Award—not least as a contribution to the turnaround in energy policy in Germany. Raw materials instead of spoil heaps One key requirement for sustainable behavior and operation is the conservation of resources. Among the technologies in demand here are those that allow exploitation of raw materials in spoil heaps—such as the new shaft spiral separator SWS 3000 from manufacturer Doppstadt in Velbert/Germany. The device is able to separate strongly cohesive material mixtures, for example stones from sticky mud or clay. As a result, the volume of spoil heaps is reduced and the life of the quarry is extended by the extraction of raw materials from the original "waste". Locally manufactured wind turbine towers A bauma innovation that "serves" all three traditional fields of sustainability—ecology, economy and society—is the mobile manufacturing of Max Bögl Wind AG. The company from Neumarkt/Germany is known for the manufacture of hybrid towers made of concrete and steel elements for wind turbines with large hub heights. The new concept involves the manufacture of the concrete elements in a temporary factory delivered in 262 containers close to the future location of the wind turbines—upon request to almost any place in the world. For example, 90 towers for a wind farm in Thailand were manufactured as part of the pilot project launched in August 2017. Local raw materials and manpower ensure local added value and increase the profitability of the project. At the same time, a reduction of the number of heavy-load transports contributes to the protection of infrastructure, climate and environment. The globally unique manufacturing concept has also been nominated for the bauma Innovation Award. write your comments about the article :: © 2019 Construction News :: home page |