EWC Code
Flue-gas dust containing hazardous substances
EUR-Lex Commission Decision 2000/532/EC — Official Journal L 226, 06/09/2000Annual Volume (EU)
8.5 million tonnes/year EU ferrous foundry sand and slag
Valorisation Range
€290M foundry sand recovery market
Primary Route
Foundry sand thermal regeneration and reuse
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Get contacts for EWC 10 09 09EWC 10 09 09 is a specific sub-code under EWC 10 09 — Wastes from casting of ferrous pieces. The classification guidance below applies to this waste stream.
Ferrous casting generates spent foundry sand, core binders, casting scale and refractory waste as principal waste streams. EU ferrous foundries produce approximately 8 million tonnes of spent foundry sand annually from green sand, chemically bonded and shell-moulded processes. Green sand systems can be regenerated in-house with high efficiency (>95%) while chemically bonded sands require thermal or mechanical regeneration.
Spent foundry sand consists primarily of silica sand with clay binders (bentonite), carbonaceous additions (coal dust) and metal oxides. Leachate testing typically shows compliance with inert waste criteria, enabling use as engineering fill, golf course bunker sand and brick manufacture raw material. Phenolic resin-bonded sands may contain elevated phenol concentrations requiring testing before beneficial reuse.
Casting scale from surface cleaning of castings is an iron-rich material with 65–75% iron oxide content and is readily recycled to sintering plants or electric arc furnaces. Foundry dust collected in bag filters contains fine iron oxide, carbon and trace organic compounds, some classified hazardous (10 09 09*) if heavy metal content exceeds thresholds.
Typical Generators
Established valorisation pathways for EWC 10 09 09, ranked by economic value and market depth.
Chemically bonded spent foundry sand is thermally regenerated at 750–800°C to burn off organic binders and produce reclaimed sand meeting BS EN 1241 quality specifications. Regenerated sand replaces virgin silica sand in new cores at 80–100% substitution. Thermal regeneration systems achieve 90–95% recovery rates.
Spent green sand passing EN 12457 leachate tests is used as sub-base fill in road construction, daily cover at landfill sites, golf course bunkers and landscaping. Silica sand fraction is used as aggregate in ready-mixed concrete and mortar.
Spent foundry sand with elevated phenol, benzene or heavy metal content that fails beneficial reuse criteria is disposed to non-hazardous landfill. Hazardous foundry dust (10 09 09*) containing elevated metal content requires hazardous landfill with pre-treatment to meet WAC.
These are the established routes for EWC 10 09 09. Which one your stream qualifies for depends on its composition, volume and region.
Get the ranked options for your streamPrimary & secondary off-takers
Thermally regenerate and reuse spent foundry sand in new casting cores and moulds
Use spent foundry sand as aggregate in concrete products after quality testing
Use high-purity reclaimed silica sand as glass batch raw material substitute
Use silica-rich foundry sand as soil conditioner and drainage amendment in agricultural applications
Sectors that valorise EWC 10 09 09 as an input material or secondary raw material.
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