Unpainted wood from construction and demolition Share

​​​The material is shredded at the SORPA receiving and sorting plant, making it possible to retrieve metals by mechanical sorting. The material is then used as a source of carbon in the manufacture of metal-grade silicon.

Such recycling of wood is the first of its kind in the world. Wood is usually used as a source of energy overseas. The use of renewable energy sources, and thereby environmentally friendly energy production here in Iceland, however, means that the wood is better utilised in this manner. This means both the reduction of coal imports and burying of organic waste. 

Wood is carbon neutral and its use, therefore, reduces the carbon footprint of Elkem by 14,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide per year. One may expect that preventing the wood from being buried in the landfill saves exhaust equivalent to more than 4,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide per year. The aggregate benefit corresponds to discontinuing the use of 6,800 cars. Metal-grade silicon is used, among other things, in the manufacture of electric motors in electric cars and electric equipment in computers and telephones.

​​​The material is shredded at the SORPA receiving and sorting plant, making it possible to retrieve metals by mechanical sorting. The material is then used as a source of carbon in the manufacture of metal-grade silicon.

Such recycling of wood is the first of its kind in the world. Wood is usually used as a source of energy overseas. The use of renewable energy sources, and thereby environmentally friendly energy production here in Iceland, however, means that the wood is better utilised in this manner. This means both the reduction of coal imports and burying of organic waste. 

Wood is carbon neutral and its use, therefore, reduces the carbon footprint of Elkem by 14,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide per year. One may expect that preventing the wood from being buried in the landfill saves exhaust equivalent to more than 4,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide per year. The aggregate benefit corresponds to discontinuing the use of 6,800 cars. Metal-grade silicon is used, among other things, in the manufacture of electric motors in electric cars and electric equipment in computers and telephones.