The company Claybens conducted the pilot in collaboration with, among others, the municipality of Doetinchem and the province of Gelderland.
Test with contaminated clay from Doetinchem
At Voltastraat in Doetinchem, there was a lot of PFAS in the soil due to 1,300 leaking barrels of firefighting foam. The municipality of Doetinchem searched for a solution and contacted Claybens. This company develops a technique to convert PFAS clay into clean bricks. Could this also work for the Doetinchem clay? Together they tackled this question.
Pilot successful: brick baking removes PFAS
Bricks are baked for a long time at temperatures of 1000 to 1200 degrees Celsius. These temperatures and the duration ensure that the chemical compounds that make up PFAS break down. So there is no longer any PFAS in the bricks. The chemicals are destroyed in the oven. Claybens worked for more than 4 years on this solution. First in the laboratory and then gradually scaling up. In 2024, Claybens, along with partners from the chain, started the first industrial pilot with contaminated clay from Doetinchem. In this pilot, we processed PFAS clay into 50,000 clean bricks. Independent tests confirm: the bricks are clean, safe for use in construction, and meet all quality standards.
Successful investment
We have successfully invested in innovation. Now it is time to apply this method more broadly.
Province of Gelderland
Sustainable and circular
This pilot proves that the technique can be applied on an industrial scale. The production process is safe for people and the environment. The bricks are clean and contain no PFAS. The bricks were tested and meet all standards. The process offers double benefits: less harmful waste and a contribution to the high demand for sustainable building materials. The 50,000 bricks from the pilot will be used in a construction project in the municipality of Doetinchem.
Do not throw away severely contaminated soil
This pilot shows that even severely contaminated soil does not need to be thrown away, but can get a second life. As a municipality, we are proud that this has succeeded precisely in Doetinchem.
Municipality of Doetinchem
Collaboration
For this success, many parties worked together. The municipality of Doetinchem made the contaminated clay available. Claybens provided the technology and led the project. Delgromij made and supplied the clay mixtures. Caprice brick baked 50,000 bricks and opened their factory for all measurements. The province of Gelderland and the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management provided funding. The province of Gelderland also helped ensure that everything could happen safely within the laws and regulations. The Environmental Service Region Arnhem granted the permit.
Building a bridge
The parties involved worked in the ceramic industry or with PFAS, but not both. Claybens was able to build that bridge.
Owner Claybens
Future
Claybens will continue to develop the technology after this pilot and is exploring opportunities to do this on an even larger scale.
For more information, see the brochure.
If you are looking for more (technical) information, please visit the website claybens.com.