Without a doubt, the previous year was filled with challenges. Rising commodity prices and soaring inflation did not make it easy to run a production company that mostly works under long-term contracts. Still, we can confidently say that we ended the year strong and inspired.

In 2021 we delivered 216,000 tonnes of our TEFRA® hydraulic binder for 94 projects mainly in the ​​road infrastructure area (76%) and those requiring a high load-bearing substrate (11%), namely shopping and logistics centers or factories. The largest recipients of TEFRA® binder are Budimex, Polaqua, PORR, Dekpol and Strabag with respectively almost 40, 30, 23, 18.5, 16.5 thousand tonnes of the substance delivered.

The use of TEFRA® instead of traditional materials for soil stabilization and drainage enabled to reduce the carbon footprint of these investments by over 133 thousand tonnes of CO2e in 2021 alone.

We are very pleased that years of our activity in cooperation with scientific and expert circles have had such an impact on the circular economy in Poland. Ashes, previously regarded as waste, are now used as a safe, full value and low-emission binder in transport infrastructure engineering, for instance.

We would like to thank both our business partners and contractors for their trust and the possibility to affect the environment in a positive way.

 

Kamil Szczygielski

CEO EKOTECH Group

The annual conference „Ashes from Power Generation” is  already behind us. The organizer of the event, Polish Coal Combustion Products Union (Polish CCP Union), invited the representatives of the industry, scientific circles and both local and state authorities to discuss the policy for raw materials and the issues of circular economy.

During the three-day expert sessions there were discussed all the most burning issues such as the transformation of Poland’s and Europe’s power systems and the impact of  various power mix scenarios on local CCP.

‘The next few years will surely be a great challenge for the industry. I do believe, however, that coal combustion products can be successfully used to improve the climate. The building industry, for instance, could make use of  fly ashes and slags instead of already scarce natural resources or high emission materials’, says Kamil Szczygielski, the CEO of EKOTECH Group. ‘Our TEFRA binder, produced on the basis of CCP, has been helping to reduce the level of carbon footprint of the road, railway or large scale  investments for over a decade now. Thanks to that we have a real impact on circular economy.’

The event was also a perfect opportunity to exchange experiences and ideas on how to both rationally and effectively manage the resources such as CCP in terms of costs.

There was also place to discuss the report presented last summer by the Intergovernmental Panel of Climate Change. Yet another time it was stressed how crucial it is to adequately regulate and normalise CCP at both European and national level. REACH regulation for classic fly ash and the current registration status within its requirements were also under discussion.

For over 75 years UNICEF has been working to improve the lives of children from all over the world, often affected by blood conflict, natural disasters or humanitarian crises. It tries to counteract poverty, social inequality and malnutrition, which unfortunately for many children and their families are an inseparable part of everyday life.

The organization helps children from over 190 countries by defending their rights, fostering their education and often saving lives. Thanks to individual and business donors UNICEF can provide even faster and more effective help.

In June this year EKOTECH Group joined the UNICEF Poland program – “Company with a heart” and for the next year will be one of the organization’s funding partners.

– Every child deserves a happy and safe childhood, and UNICEF, as a global organization, has the ability to provide real help wherever it is most needed. By supporting UNICEF, we participate in building a more stable and better world for children – says Kamil Szczygielski, the CEO of EKOTECH Group.

With the dawn of 2020, the year of a whole new and challenging reality, it was hard to imagine the way it would unfold. Now, we can proudly say that despite all the struggles we have made it. The trust we have built over the years with our suppliers, carriers and contractors got us through the insecurities of nowadays market.

We are ending 2020 on a high note, with 105 completed projects and as many as 239 thousand tonnes of TEFRA delivered for the needs of road infrastructure development. Well-established companies like STRABAG, Budimex, POLAQUA and last but not least PORR, co-working with us on noumerous investments, were all among the greatest recipients of our binder.

We are thankful to all our employees, associates and business partners for their ongoing common effort put into enhancing strategic for Poland transport links, all done in the pursuit of sustainable development.

 

Kamil Szczygielski

CEO EKOTECH Group

TEFRA® is our flagship product, known and used on the Polish market for almost 10 years. Now we have prepared a special website entirely dedicated to our hydraulic binder. On tefra.eu, we have collected the most important information about the product – from its properties, through the way of application, to the examples of use. What is TEFRA®? What are the benefits for the investor and the environment? The answers to these and many more about TEFRA® are there on tefra.eu. Feel invited to see for yourself!

27th International Conference “Ashes from Power Generation” organised by The Polish Coal Combustion Products Union is already behind us. It was yet another coming together of, among others, the energetic sector and the world of science. Just as all the previous editions this year’s event served as a valuable platform for the exchange of ideas, experiences and insights between Polish and foreign specialists in the field of power engineering, circular economy and CCP.

‘There have been numerous events this year having both direct and indirect impact on CCP industry. The conference was therefore a perfect opportunity to consider the challenges and prospects ahead of us, at both national and global level. Once again we participated in a discussion on sustainability and the place of CCP in the pursuit of a circular economy,’ says Kamil Szczygielski, the CEO of EKOTECH Group.

The European Green Deal, climate balance, four-year development outlook for the power sector as well as the industrial symbiosis of mining and energy throughout the transition process were all among the key issues raised. Another aspects covered were the REACH system, namely the regulation update and related legal obligations of a company, the economic use of coal combustion products in scientific and practical terms as well as the questions of technology and CCP quality improvement. What was also noted, was the validity of coal-based circular economy and the essence of TEFRA project.

The Forbes business magazine recently published the Forbes Diamonds 2020 list, which shows the most dynamically developing companies in Poland. EKOTECH Trade, one of the EKOTECH Group companies, was among the winners. The ranking is prepared by Bisnode Polska in cooperation with the editors of the monthly.  

The list includes companies that in the last three years have increased their value the fastest. Each of them was given a positive credibility and cooperation risk rating by the independent business intelligence agency Bisnode Polska. The selected companies also had to have high current liquidity and be up-to-date in payments. They also had to demonstrate a positive financial result and the value of equity.

“Joining the prestigious group of Forbes Diamond winners is an important moment for us. It clearly confirms the dynamic development of our company, but also the value of our product and know-how that we’ve gained through many years in the construction industry,” said Kamil Szczygielski, CEO of the EKOTECH Group.

EKOTECH Trade took 420 place among companies from the Mazowieckie voivodship with revenues of PLN 5-50 million. A total of 4,035 companies were included in the Forbes Diamonds 2020 ranking.

You can read about the ranking methodology here.

The last few days have been full of events and meetings that we hope will result in even-greater awareness of the public and of authorities in the area of circular economy, including the potential that lies in energy by-products.

On 8-10 October, we participated in the conference “Ashes from Power Generation”, which is a unique platform for the exchange of the opinions and experiences of scientists and professionals from the coal energy sector, as well as from enterprises involved in energy by-products.

“As a side effect of coal burning, ashes often simply end up in landfill. This is a huge waste of a raw material that can be used, for example, in road construction. As members of the Polish Coal Combustion Products Union, we’re trying to change this”, said Kamil Szczygielski, President of the Management Board of the EKOTECH Group. “The effects can be seen, among others, in the document ‘Roadmap for transformation towards a circular economy”, which was recently adopted by the Council of Ministers. And it’s this document and the regulatory actions specified therein supporting the use of energy by-products from the energy sector that were part of the topics discussed during this year’s conference”, he added.

More information about the circular economy Roadmap and its downloadable content are available here.

Our company – the EKOTECH Group – has also become a strategic partner of Circular Week, which is a series of events organised in selected European cities on 7-13 October. They culminated in the Mazovia Circular Congress in Warsaw, which saw the participation of international experts and professionals in the field of circular economy. Addressing the idea of such an economic model and highlighting practical solutions that can be implemented at individual, corporate and state levels is extremely important.

Can Polish coal energy be waste-free in the future? In our opinion, it can!

 

 

Developing the technology of coal ash conversion into construction products for over 20 years, EKOTECH Group has delivered 319 thousand tonnes of TEFRA® binder to construction sites in 2018. As a more ecological substitute for cement and lime, it was used i.a. during the construction of the S3 expressway section between Nowa Sól and Legnica, put into service this year.

Compared with last year, the increase in the production of TEFRA® by 22 percent also means even greater reduction of CO2 emission taking place during cement production. Successfully, this was decreased by 157 thousand tonnes this year.

Such a high result proves that sensibly managed coal energy can bring emission reduction, while the increasing binder production demonstrates that there is a demand for solutions based on ash derived from coal energy. Apart from the business context, which is obviously important to us as well, when summarising the year 2018, we are most satisfied with the fact that these indicators truly show growing awareness concerning the use of anthropogenic minerals. – underlines Kamil Szczygielski, the President of EKOTECH Group. – This constitutes a great prospect for the future, especially in Poland, where the potential of coal combustion by-products has not been fully exploited yet – he adds.

How does the use of TEFRA® reduce CO2 emission

One of the components of cement is Portland clinker, a material which requires a very high temperature. It is manufactured by means of the combustion of fossil fuels, which also leads to CO2 emission. According to Berkeley researchers, 7 percent of CO2 emitted into the atmosphere is generated during cement production. For TEFRA® production, coal ash is used as it does not require further heat treatment.

The activity of EKOTECH remains in line with the assumptions of a waste-free economy, eliminating the ash storage issue. We also take into consideration that Poland will continue to invest in the coal industry for many years to come. The development of climate-friendly solutions constitutes a global challenge, which is why the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP 24) taking place in Katowice was devoted, among others, to ecological technologies.

The technology of TEFRA® production, together with its properties as well as intended use, fits in with the issues discussed at the international climate conference, which only confirms that we have selected the best possible direction in the context of improving the climate situation not only in Poland, but wherever combustion by-products are generated – underlines Szczygielski.

What is important, this technology proves to be useful in a practical way. Over 800 km of expressways and motorways have already been constructed throughout the country with the use of TEFRA® binders, including the S3 expressway section between Nowa Sól and Legnica, put into service this year.

The most important thing is to shift the way we perceive ash. In Poland, for the most part, it is still considered to be waste that we can do nothing about except for just storing it, which is obviously expensive, pollutes the environment and simply poses a problem. We have proven that ash does not have to generate costs, and more importantly, if processed in a proper way, it may contribute to the reduction of carbon dioxide emission into the atmosphere – summarises the President of the EKOTECH Management Board.

Solutions for waste-free energy are already used in Poland; however, the challenge is how to make them more popular. These are the conclusions drawn at a meeting of the Environment Committee of the Senate of the Republic of Poland organised in cooperation with the Association of the Polish Combustion Products Union. Participants raised issues of climate protection through effective combustion by-product management, and the symbiosis between energy, mining and civil engineering.

The seminar’s attendees included the Chairman of the Environment Committee – Zdzisław Pupa, who also chaired the committee meeting – and the presidents of major Polish energy companies involved in waste-free coal and mining energy. These included the President of the Management Board of PGE Ekoserwis – Lech Sekyra, President of the Management Board of PGE GiEK – Radosław Rasała, Vice President of the Management Board of ENEA Wytwarzanie – Jarosław Ołowski, and Kamil Szczygielski – President of the Management Board of the EKOTECH Group, which specialises in the production of specialised building materials based on anthropogenic minerals.

Government attendees included the Adviser to the President of the Republic of Poland – Paweł Sałek, Undersecretary of State at the Ministry of the Environment – Sławomir Mazurek, and chairman of the Commission for Energy and Treasury – Maciej Małecki.

In the first part of the meeting, dr Tomasz Szczygielski took the floor – he’s an expert in the processing and management of combustion by-products in coal energy; his speech covered the benefits of the management of combustion by-products in the energy sector. Both the environmental and economic aspects of this solution were emphasised.

The environmentally friendly potential of waste-free energy was also presented to the participants of the seminar by Kamil Szczygielski, who described the experience of the EKOTECH Group, which for years has been using anthropogenic minerals, primarily for infrastructure purposes. The Group’s main product is TEFRA® binders with a low carbon footprint, which were used to build over 800 km of expressways and highways in Poland.

‘The foundation of our activity is the symbiosis between energy and infrastructure construction. For nearly 20 years, we’ve been implementing environmentally friendly solutions by adopting the idea of ​​a circular economy. An example of this is lignite ash, which is classified as waste. We think of it as an anthropogenic mineral that we use for the production of specialised building materials’, Szczygielski said.

He went on to explain the differences resulting from the current treatment of waste generated in the combustion process by major energy companies, and showed a new direction that will enable the use of ashes, hundreds of tonnes of which are accumulated in landfills across the country.

‘The vast majority of lignite ash produced in Poland is not processed, and inevitably ends up in landfill. This is an example of a linear economy. The approach of the EKOTECH Group is based on the concept of a circular economy, in which, using TEFRA® technology, we eliminate ash accumulation by technical processing and economic use in geoengineering’, Szczygielski emphasised.

All of the speakers had a strong focus on the environmental and economic aspect of a circular economy. They also directly addressed the current government representatives with a request to establish and implement new regulations regarding mineral waste management. Tomasz Wilczak – Vice President of the Management Board of PGNiG Termika – also shared his experience in the field of ash management. He based his speech on an example of the use of ashes from two key power plants producing energy for Warsaw: Siekierki and Żerań. Ashes from Żerań were used to build the North Bridge. Approximately 500,000 tonnes of ashes were incorporated into on- and off-ramps, and soil from drilling for the metro tunnel took their place. Ashes from Siekierki currently go to the construction of the Southern Bypass of Warsaw – approximately 200,000 tonnes will be used.

An example of combining the challenges of the energy sector and environmental challenges can be seen in JI Project Tefra, which is implemented by the EKOTECH Group as part of the UN Climate Convention (UNFCCC) and the fulfilment of the provisions of the Kyoto Protocol. It’s not without reason that this project was repeatedly referred to during the debate – by the President of the Group, by Paweł Mzyk – the Head of the National Centre for Emissions Management, as well as by Paweł Sałek – Advisor to the President of the Republic of Poland. During the implementation of the Project, i.e. over five years (2008-2012), 500,000 tonnes of CO₂ emissions were avoided. Pursuant to the provisions of the Kyoto Protocol, the Project also obtained emission reduction units (ERUs), which were included as fulfilment of Poland’s obligations resulting from the provisions established in Kyoto. In the second part of the meeting, a discussion moderated by dr Tomasz Szczygielski took place, during which the problem of landfilling of the waste from combustion process (mainly ash) was raised, and solutions were proposed in which this waste becomes an ecological product with a wide range of applications in various industry sectors, such as construction (building materials) and interior design.

In summary, the Chairman of the committee – Zdzisław Pupa – admitted that symbiosis and synergy of energy, mining and civil engineering are necessary to implement the innovative solutions proposed during the meeting. Specific actions by authorities are needed in this regard, which was pointed out on several occasions by almost all of the participants of the seminar.

The last speaker was the Advisor to the President of the Republic of Poland – Paweł Sałek; he admitted that changes are needed in the management of mineral waste, and highlighted that Poland was, is and will be open to pro-environmental activities.