Influence of Heraklith plate materials on composting

One aim of the circular economy is to reduce the landfilling of materials and instead use them as raw materials for new products. This principle can be applied to many, but not all, materials. One sector of the economy that is currently the focus of the circular economy is the construction industry, which should return more materials to the cycle. One material that is currently hardly recycled and occurs in significant quantities is Heraklith panels (wood-cement-MgCO3 composite). Although these could be recycled, there is no collection and return system for them. Another method that cannot be used in Austria but could be used in other countries is composting. In composting, the material can be used as structural material. Structural material is particularly necessary in open windrow composting to support thermal aeration. Such materials are rare in regions with a low tree and shrub population and could be replaced by unproblematic building materials. In the present project, the influence of different quantities of Heraklit sheet material on the composting process is to be investigated in the laboratory and it is to be assessed whether the resulting compost could be used in agriculture.