Australian construction materials company Boral is trialling concrete made from recycled sand sourced from end-of-life and damaged solar panels in Victoria’s North East Link project.
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The special concrete is a blend of up to 50% natural sand and crushed glass sourced from solar panel upcycling company ElecSome.
The company said the results from the new concrete trial had so far been excellent.
Boral head of sustainability and innovation Dr Ali Nezhad said, “Our solar glass sand concrete trial demonstrates the ability and strength of reusing materials to create a circular economy.
“We are excited about the next generation of work being done around new and innovative building construction materials.”
ElecSome runs Australia’s first solar panel upcycling plant with capacity to process a million panels per annum.
The North East Link project is the biggest ever investment in Melbourne’s north east, comprising 6.5km tunnels from Watsonia to Bulleen.
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It will take 15,000 trucks off local roads a day and reduce travel times by up to 35 minutes.
