EWC Code
Waste linings and refractories
EUR-Lex Commission Decision 2000/532/EC — Official Journal L 226, 06/09/2000Annual Volume
2 million tonnes/year EU-wide
Valorisation Range
€160M refractory recycling and aggregate market
Primary Route
Refractory re-manufacture (non-hazardous)
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Get contacts for EWC 16 11EWC 16 11 covers waste linings and refractories from furnaces, kilns, reactors and other high-temperature vessels. Sub-entries distinguish metallurgical from non-metallurgical origin and hazardous from non-hazardous: 16 11 01* (carbon-based linings from metallurgical processes containing dangerous substances), 16 11 02 (non-hazardous carbon-based linings), 16 11 03* (other linings from metallurgical processes containing dangerous substances), 16 11 04 (non-hazardous metallurgical linings), 16 11 05* (linings from non-metallurgical processes containing dangerous substances), 16 11 06 (non-hazardous non-metallurgical linings).
Spent refractory bricks from aluminium smelters (spent pot lining — SPL) are classified hazardous due to fluoride and cyanide contamination. Spent refractories from steel electric arc furnaces contain chromium and may leach Cr(VI). Carbon-based electrode materials from steel and aluminium production contain polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH).
Non-hazardous spent refractories — magnesia-chrome bricks from cement kilns, silica bricks from glass furnaces, high-alumina bricks from lime kilns — have established reuse markets as secondary aggregate in road base, concrete production and as secondary raw material for refractory re-manufacture.
Typical Generators
Established valorisation pathways for EWC 16 11, ranked by economic value and market depth. Refractory re-manufacture (non-hazardous) is the primary route.
Non-hazardous spent refractories crushed and sized for incorporation as grog in new refractory manufacture. High-alumina and magnesia fractions have established secondary raw material markets. Reduces virgin raw material consumption.
Clean non-hazardous refractory rubble processed as secondary aggregate for road sub-base, drainage layers and fill applications. Material must meet aggregate end-of-waste criteria or be used under EWC exemption conditions.
Hazardous refractories (SPL from aluminium smelters, Cr-containing steel refractories) stabilised with cement-based binders to meet WAC leachate limits. Disposed at permitted hazardous landfill under Landfill Directive 1999/31/EC.
These are the established routes for EWC 16 11. Which one your stream qualifies for depends on its composition, volume and region.
Get the ranked options for your streamPrimary & secondary off-takers
Secondary raw material recovery of crushed spent refractories as grog in new refractory manufacture
High-alumina refractory aggregate as concrete additive for heat-resistant applications
Stabilisation and disposal of hazardous spent pot lining and Cr-bearing refractories
Civil engineering aggregate use of non-hazardous refractory rubble in fill applications
Source: NACE Rev.2 — Eurostat, 2008
Key legislative frameworks governing EWC 16 11 classification, transport, and treatment.
Carbon-based refractories from aluminium and steel production may contain PAHs (benzo[a]pyrene classified carcinogen Cat. 1A). Workers handling spent carbon linings must be protected under Carcinogen Directive exposure limit provisions. Waste classified HP2 (flammable) and HP7 (carcinogenic).
Magnesia-chrome refractories may release Cr(VI) under leaching conditions. Cr(VI) is SVHC under REACH Annex XIV. Waste refractories must be assessed for leachate Cr(VI) content before recycling as aggregate. Exceeding EQS threshold triggers hazardous classification.
Non-hazardous refractory rubble may meet end-of-waste status under EU EoW Regulation for recycled aggregates (EU 2024 draft). Requires input material characterisation, processing to specification, and quality management system. Meeting PAS 2030 or EN 13242 aggregate standard as outputs.
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Sectors that valorise EWC 16 11 as an input material or secondary raw material.
Waste-stream pages and resources connected to EWC 16 11 valorisation.
Explore EU waste flows — Waste Atlas
Visualise 17 years of E-PRTR industrial facility data. See how EWC 16 11 and related waste streams flow across European industries and sectors.
Source: EUR-Lex Commission Decision 2000/532/EC · NACE Rev.2 — Eurostat 2008
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