Resand Ltd., the developer of a foundry sand reclamation system based on electricity and emphasizing modularity and environmental compliance, inked its first “sand as a service” agreement earlier this year. The treatment unit installed at the Valmet Jyväskylä, Finland, iron foundry is regenerating molding sand for that operation, cutting its reliance on virgin sand with minimized environmental impact.
"Our business has always been guided by innovation and understanding of customer needs. I am very proud of our first service agreement for an electric sand reclaimer. I see a promising future for the electric reclaimer, as the foundry industry both in Finland and elsewhere in Europe has been hoping for an electrically powered modular sand reclaimer solution," stated Kalle Härkki, CEO of Resand.
The service for Valmet's Jyväskylä foundry follows the positive results that the industrial group has recorded from Resand’s treatment of sand for its Valkeakoski foundry since 2019.
With a recent €3 million loan from the Nordic Green Bank (Nefco), Resand aims to expand its service to other European metalcasters.
The necessity of green sand for metalcasting adds to the numerous environmental liabilities for metalcasters, including extraction and transportation of virgin sand. Thermal recovery processes based on natural gas present another regulatory and financial risk.
The two-stage Resand process starts with a heat-treatment cycle to remove binder residues from the molding sand, followed by a mechanical drum sequence that separates any other impurities. It reports the process can clean 1,000 kg of sand per hour, material that provides 95% of the mold strength of virgin sand.
In addition, Resand claims that its regenerated sand can reduce a foundry’s sand-purchasing and disposal costs by 10-20% annually, without any major capital expenses. And they further note that their process reduces CO2 emissions from sand use and transport by up to 80%.
For onsite installation at metalcasting operations, Resand describes the treatment unit as “a modular system that is quick and customer-friendly for the foundry to install and commission, with a delivery time of only 4–5 months.”
And, because it is electrically powered, the reclaimer’s direct greenhouse gas emissions (Scope 1) are low, and overall CO2 emissions for new sand can be reduced by up to 70%.
“Results have been very promising,” Valmet Jyväskylä’s foundry director Ilkka Rytky stated earlier this year, “and we will continue to increase the amount of recycled sand. The sand recycling technology innovated by Resand, and their service concept seem to support notably the improvement in foundry’s recycling rate and therefore also Valmet’s climate program’s goals.”
“The foundry industry is constantly looking for new solutions to support sustainable development,” observed Resand CEO Här Kalle Härkki. “With our patented sand regeneration technology and our innovative Resand® solution, we are systematically contributing to the green transition in the foundry industry.”