2022 - 2024: National project for the revaluation of shellfish co-products in road structures 

Road earthworks and industrial platforms tend to generate large volumes of soil and excavated materials during their construction. These materials may be in a more or less humid, clayey or even polluted state, compromising their reuse and requiring disposal in a storage facility. Significant quantities of materials are concerned, and finding sustainable solutions for the reuse of these materials is a major challenge for building and public works companies.

Currently, for the preservation of natural resources, several research works focus on the use of recycled materials, dredged sediments and excavated earth as alternative materials to traditional materials for public works applications or civil engineering works. The built environment is responsible for a significant portion of our energy and primary resource consumption. In addition, the carbon footprint of the built environment has been estimated at 10-12% of CO2 emissions in several member states. Construction and deconstruction/demolition waste is one of the largest and heaviest waste streams (25-30%) generated in the EU.

LIBAROT or low-carbon bonding for roadway infrastructure

LIBAROT project was born between Normandy and Paris via the Seine Valley. Indeed, Normandy and more particularly the BUILDERS School of Engineering laboratory has developed an expertise on the valorization of shell co-products as alternative materials to traditional ones. Oyster shells are shellfish wastes which are available in large quantities in some countries and which are generally rejected or dumped without any recovery. The use of this material as a raw material in concrete should provide environmental, technical and economic benefits. Studies have been
have been carried out by the BUILDERS School of Engineering laboratory to investigate the possibility of using shells as fine aggregate, coarse aggregate and even as a substitute for cementitious binder. 

Dual objectives

1/ Development of a low-carbon binder based on shellfish co-products for the stabilization of road base layers,
2/ Development of a low carbon footprint binder for related road concrete elements (guardrails, curbs, cleanliness, etc.).

Project partners

This project is financed by the ADEME within the framework of the Interregional Plan Contract State-Regions (CPIER VdS) the Seine Valley, the region of  Ile-de-France up to 59.8% of the total project cost (942,626.55 euros).