Bauma 2025, towards a sustainable construction
Bauma 2025 will provide an overview of the diverse approaches in the construction machinery world for sustainable construction.
Bauma 2025 will provide an overview of the diverse approaches in the construction machinery world for sustainable construction. The world’s leading trade fair for construction machinery, building material machines, mining machines, construction vehicles and construction equipment will be held from April 7 to 13 at the Munich exhibition center. The construction industry uses significant amounts of resources and is one of the largest producers of greenhouse gases. For that reason alone, social development aimed at sustainability is inconceivable without essential contributions from the construction industry.
When it comes to saving resources, serial construction is one of the most promising levers. “It uses raw and other materials more efficiently than with conventional construction methods, as prefabrication can be carried out in a controlled industrial environment,” explains Stephan Oehme, Consultant Mining & Minerals, Construction Equipment and Plant Engineering at the German Engineering Federation (VDMA). According to him, material waste can thus be reduced in several ways: production waste and scrap materials generated at the factory can be better recycled. It is also easier to dismantle the buildings at the end of their useful life and to reuse their materials.
As a further opportunity to protect natural resources, greater use can be made of recycled materials for 3D printing of buildings. The industry is also carrying out research on biobased materials for additive manufacturing. In any case, demand basically seems to be there. According to a study by the market research company Exactitude Consultancy, the global market for 3D printing mortar is expected to grow from around USD 3.5 billion in 2024 to around USD 13.8 billion in 2034.
Of the around 208 million tons of mineral construction waste generated in Germany in 2022, over 90 percent was recycled, according to the Kreislaufwirtschaft Bau initiative. “The idea of recycling is now deeply etched in the DNA of the construction industry, as demonstrated not least by the many extremely practical solutions,” comments Oehme. For example, asphalt pavements can be prepared on site using the cold recyclers from the Wirtgen Group. The existing pavement is granulated with a milling and mixing rotor and prepared by adding binding agents, cement and water. The result is a homogeneous material that can be directly reapplied.
Bauma 2025: electric drives for a wide range of applications
Sustainable construction also includes the goal of decarbonization to the maximum possible extent. Contributing to that are the alternative drives for mobile construction machinery, which will also be a separate key topic again at bBauma in 2025. In addition, electric solutions also prevent exhaust fumes and noise from construction equipment, such as vibratory plates and tamping rammers. The range of products is now so wide that, according to the manufacturer Wacker Neuson, a completely emission-free construction site is already possible today.
Other market players also supporting climate-friendly construction are construction material manufacturers. For example, an asphalt mixing company in Nentershausen in the German state of Hesse, is now successfully using the Revoc system from manufacturer Benninghoven, which was presented as a world premiere at Bauma 2022. The retrofitted “catalytic converter” enables total carbon emissions to be reduced by up to 50 percent, while the share of recycling material in the asphalt can be increased to up to 60 percent. Benninghoven also recently launched the world’s first asphalt burner that can be powered by 100 percent green hydrogen.
“Sustainable construction is by no means limited to resource awareness, recycling of the materials used, and a smaller carbon footprint,” says the VDMA expert and goes on to say: “Alongside economic viability, safeguarding human health is also a key objective.” Reducing construction site noise, for example, is good for the health of both the workers and local residents. Many municipalities around the world, such as Munich, London, Paris, and Zurich, are boosting the use of quieter construction machinery through guidelines, regulations, and subsidies. E-machines are not only particularly quiet, but also emit no harmful exhaust gases or particulate matter where they are used.
