Transport Research Laboratory receive Green Mind award

UK-based TRL win award for recycled aggregates project in the Middle East and North Africa region

TRL, a fully independent company offering independent research, consultancy, testing and certification for all aspects of transport, have been awarded a Green Mind award for the best Green Innovation project in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA).

The aim of the recycling project, ‘Investigating Recycled Aggregate Materials in Construction’, was to reduce the amount of solid waste accumulating in Qatar and MENA, and provide a practical solution for a cheaper and sustainable aggregate supply into the region.

As a result of the scheme, the Qatar Construction Specifications have been updated and a recycling target has been set in the National Development Strategy. The TRL project beat off stiff competition from over 720 other entries from 12 countries in MENA. More than 25 projects were then shortlisted into nine categories with three finalists in each group.  

Following on from extensive laboratory tests, full-scale site trials are currently under way to demonstrate how recycled aggregates can be used in practice.  As well as providing greater confidence in their use, the use of research-based evidence to develop and implement new technologies will also enable government organizations and the local construction industry to establish reliable and sustainable infrastructure.

A TRL spokesman said: ‘It is a great honour to win this award and, importantly, through the Green Mind Award encouraging investors there is every potential for the results to be implemented across the region.’