Testing commences in the Basque Country for the validation of railway products, which will give waste a second life

Sidenor, Elinfe, SAITEC and COMSA, in collaboration with TECNALIA, have started BIRBALAS project testing on a section of the rail network managed by the Basque public entity, EUSKAL TRENBIDE SAREA, passing through the municipality of Derio (Vizcaya).

The initiative consists of the development and validation of railway ballast and sub-ballast products based on iron and steel aggregate recovered from electric arc furnaces and will give a second life to waste from this industry, which represents 400,000 Tm each year in the Basque Country.

The purpose of BIRBALAS is to analyse the technical and market feasibility for the use of this product in the railway sector, considering its sustainable and environmental specifications. These will foster the smart management of the ballast’s preventive maintenance, as well as the generation of new materials to replace the traditional ballast.

Further information

• Press Release: BIRBALAS project testing commences in the Basque Country