FSP Foundry Sand Processing GmbH has successfully commissioned the world’s first facility for the cost-efficient and environmentally friendly regeneration of foundry spent sands. Already today, the company supplies around 100 tons of processed material each week to the foundry of a major automotive manufacturer in the region. The official inauguration will take place on October 24, led by Rita Schwarzelühr-Sutter, Parliamentary State Secretary at the Federal Ministry for the Environment.
With the launch of this plant, FSP introduces a new service model that significantly reduces costs for foundries while preserving the valuable resource of sand. Thanks to its patented wet process, up to 90 percent of spent sands can be recovered and returned to the production cycle as regenerates. As a result, the demand for fresh sand is largely replaced, creating a closed material loop: spent sands are delivered or collected, regenerated on site, and then returned to foundries as high-quality raw material.
The wet regeneration process is complemented by an additional mechanical-thermal plant currently in planning. Together, both facilities will be able to process up to 60,000 tons of spent sand annually. This not only ensures substantial CO₂ savings but also represents a key contribution to resource conservation and climate protection.
Economic and Environmental Advantages
The new service model frees foundries from the need to invest in costly in-house regeneration technology and reduces expenses for disposal as well as for procuring fresh sand. At the same time, it brings environmental benefits: landfill capacities are conserved and long-distance transport of sand is avoided.
FSP’s own facility is also equipped with a combined heat and power (CHP) system, allowing largely energy-independent and almost CO₂-neutral operation. In this way, the wet regeneration plant combines economic efficiency with ecological responsibility — a true example of a functioning circular economy.
Stefan Zimmermann, Managing Director of FSP GmbH, describes the commissioning as a milestone for the industry: “Until now, new sand had to be purchased for every core, and spent sand had to be disposed of at high cost after the casting process. Now the regenerates circulate continuously and are reused again and again in core production and casting.”
