Roma Grus invests in CDE Plant on Gotland Island
Eunan Kelly (left) and Magnus Lindby at bauma 2022
© CDE
Stefan Lindby, brother to the owner of Roma Grus, Magnus Lindby, had become aware of CDE at bauma 2019 and had quickly identified the similarities in values between the two companies, as well as the opportunities offered by C&D recycling for the business and the construction industry. The partnership recently come full circle when Roma Grus joined CDE at bauma 2022 to showcase the project and celebrate the success of the relationship that evolved from those early conversations. When commissioned, the wash plant will equip the business with the technology to advance the circular economy in Gotland.
Self-sufficiency and conservation in an island environment
The ability to recycle is particularly important for an island-based company like Roma Grus. Currently, sand is shipped from mainland Sweden which is unsustainable and expensive. On the island, they will be among the first to offer washed sand & aggregates suitable for concrete production as an alternative to raw material. This is in stark contrast to mining operations that have a serious impact on the island’s preservation, and highlight’s the company’s commitment to protection of the land. The new investment therefore contributes to both their environmental and self-reliance goals.
The wash plant will comprise of CDE’s patented R4500 primary scalping screen with integrated Infinity™ P2-75R ProGrade screen, pioneering AggMax scrubbing and classification system with integrated Infinity™ H2-60 screen and RotoMax logwasher, the Evowash sand wash plant with Counter Flow Classification Unit (CFCU™ 200), as well as transfer and stockpile conveyors. It will also include the AquaCycle™ high-rate thickener, which recycles up to 90 % of the process water for immediate re-use in the system. The AquaStore complete water storage and pumping system recycles the recovered water around the washing plant, while the accompanying Flocstation is the delivery system for polyelectrolyte to the AquaCycle to facilitate settlement of sludge and recycling of water.
Upon commissioning, the company’s outputs will be transformed, as new revenue streams are opened with new products available and a higher quality of the existing line in production. CDE’s CFCU™ technology will have a significant impact on the customer’s operation, by creating a higher quality concrete sand output, and the AggMax that scrubs & cleans up the stone fraction, will result in high-quality in-spec aggregates.
Turning waste into resource
Site Manager Emil Höglund is confident of the significant impact the new wash plant will have on the company’s method of operations, saying: “Roma Grus has invested heavily in developing sustainable ways of operating in recent years, and this project is an important phase in helping us to achieve our ambitious sustainability objectives. In the second half of 2021, our company was running entirely fossil-free, however current circumstances including the ongoing war in Ukraine and Swedish tax policies made it fiscally impossible to continue with this strategy. We are however committed to returning to fossil-free operations and view our partnership with CDE as a huge step in that journey.”
Magnus Lindby explains that the technology will ensure they are achieving not just their own goals but are also adhering to incoming directives. “The CDE solution will help Roma Grus implement the circular model we are striving for, as well as comply with the regulation which prevents raw material extraction and supply to the market after 2025. Aggregates extraction is particularly damaging for Gotland’s groundwater supply, and we are committed to ensuring the protection of the island on which we live.”
