DEMOLITION, WRECKING AND RECYCLING TODAY SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION Innovative Techniques, Technology Mindset Continue to Drive Industry Whether decommissioning and demo-lition of power plants and industrial facilities or the removal of aging infra-structure, the demolition, wrecking and recycling market outlook remains positive. There’s increased investment in and demand for the removal of old structures and assets—as well as the emergence of new means and methods designed to minimize, reuse and even eliminate construction waste. called the Center for Autonomous Construction in Manufacturing at Scale (CACMS) dedicated to autonomous construction technologies, including demolition solutions. Funded in part by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, CACMS will work with USACE’s Engineer Research and Development Center. of the PDR to restore the high-quality ride and serviceability of the existing roadway. Industry Bar The National Demolition Associa-tion (NDA) has launched the Certified Demolition Supervisor (CDS) certifi-cation. Believed to be the first-of-its-kind designation within the demoli-tion industry, the CDS evaluates an individual’s competence in all aspects of demolition from planning and permit-ting to execution and cleanup. NDA President James Milburn notes, “The CDS certification will allow demolition professionals to elevate themselves, their employers and the demolition industry as a whole by formalizing our minimum requirements to be considered a compe-tent and professional demolition super-visor.” Topics covered in the certifica-tion exam include safety, environment, operations and people management. The four key benefit areas for certification recipients and the industry include: • Validation of demolition knowl-edge, skills and abilities • Demonstration of best safety and operational jobsite practices • Increased supervisor credibility • Fewer onsite job accidents This month, 61 volunteers are taking the remotely proctored pass/fail exam. Industry testing and application windows open to take the CDS exam in November, with the first CDS recipi-ents posted by the end of that month. These are just a few ways that the demolition, wrecking and recycling community is evolving. The following pages spotlight the specialized tech-niques and creative methods deployed by a few of the industry’s demolition leaders from the precision demolition of a bridge to the complex decommis-sioning and surgical demolition of a 1-million-sq-ft production facility. enr.com/SpecialAd Sustainable Alternatives According to Fortune Business Insights, the global construction and demolition waste management market is projected to grow from $114.54 billion in 2023 to $161.18 billion by 2030—and much of that growth will be enabled by technology. The report points to the increasing impact of arti-ficial intelligence-integrated technology and IoT-based devices. Swiss-based Eberhard Group is a leader, having introduced the EbiMIK recycling plant that uses AI-powered robots to sort 200 tons of mixed waste per hour several years ago. Those materials are converted into new products for use on construction sites. On the infrastructure side, the California Dept. of Transportation (Caltrans) is finding a way to elimi-nate construction debris altogether. As part of the Freeman III Project to repair 15 lanes on SR14, a California contractor applied Caltrans’ sustain-able partial depth recycling (PDR) technique to the existing pavement. According to Caltrans, PDR is a pavement preservation and corrective maintenance technique that uses 100% of the reclaimed asphalt pavement that is generated during the process. During the PDR process, crews dug out current road material in localized sections and recycled it, combining the material with hot mix asphalt (HMA). The HMA was then reapplied to the excavated areas. Crews then laid a 2.5-in. layer of rubberized hot mix asphalt on top A Remote Opportunity Construction automation using robots increases the overall productivity of the project; reduces the labor require-ment; and provides safety for dangerous or hazardous tasks. The Global Demolition Robot Market Size, Share, Growth, Analysis, Report and Forecast 2023-2028 by Expert Market Research forecasts a 16.30% CAGR between 2023-2028 in the global demolition robot market. In the near term, a large percentage of these robots will be remotely operated, semi-autonomous machines. Further, investment in advanced digital tech-nologies such as the Internet of Things and artificial intelligence solutions that facilitate the use of demolition robots for remote operations continues to rise. Manufacturers such as Brokk Inc., Conjet AB, Husqvarna Group and others are leading the way. One of the latest developments from Brokk is the Brokk 120DII, which the company says is the smallest diesel-powered demoli-tion robot on the market. The compact, remote-controlled robot that incor-porates a vacuum excavation kit is an ideal solution for excavation sites, such as those in residential areas, which are difficult or impossible to reach with a vacuum excavation truck. Looking ahead, researchers at the University of Illinois’ Grainger College of Engineering have just embarked on a new research and development center 26 | October 16/23, 2023
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