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ViTo Recycling AG

Water and sludge treatment plant for washing contaminated aggregates and treating drilling muds.

ViTo Recycling AG — created through a business partnership between Vigier Beton and Toggenburger, and based in Péry-La Heutte in the Canton of Bern — is a Swiss company specialising in the recovery, treatment and recycling of construction materials and mineral waste. Operations at Péry-La Heutte call for sophisticated logistical and technical management, as the company has to turn large volumes of inert debris and excavation soils into recycled aggregates ready to be reintegrated into the region’s road infrastructure and civil works. Using crushing and screening plants and high-efficiency washing systems, ViTo Recycling AG tackles the key challenge of reducing waste sent to landfill while preserving virgin natural resources. Its activity is not limited to waste management but extends to integrated logistics solutions and environmental consulting, positioning the company as a strategic partner for construction firms seeking to reduce the ecological footprint of their projects. Through continuous investment in separation and treatment technologies, ViTo Recycling AG helps ensure compliance with Switzerland’s stringent environmental regulations, showing how industrial innovation can turn environmental protection into concrete, sustainable economic value for the whole community.

The project challenges

Managing heterogeneous effluents

Two different types of wastewater had to be treated — from washing contaminated aggregates and from drilling muds — while keeping a common, optimised chemistry.

Operational continuity

Redundancy of the plant's key components — clarifiers, filter presses and pumps — was required to help ensure consistent process reliability.

Space constraints

The installation had to take place within a multi-storey vertical structure, requiring a specific plant layout.

Process engineering applied by Tecnoidea

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Bespoke vertical architecture

The plant was developed over several levels, with the clarifiers placed high up (upper level) and the sludge-treatment section on the lower level; targeted structural modifications to the filter presses were also needed to fit them into high-level concrete bays.

Treatment flexibility

A highly versatile plant was supplied, able to handle both solid and liquid materials effectively, whether contaminated or not.

Tertiary treatment

To complete the cycle, an advanced tertiary system was integrated for pH correction and water microfiltration through sand and activated carbon.

Results

Clean water

Thanks to microfiltration through sand and activated carbon, the treated water reaches very high purity, making it well suited to being reused in the industrial process.

Balanced water cycle

The plant was optimised to manage the water surplus from the drilling muds, allowing the company to approach water balance and sharply reduce mains-water intake.

Automation

The system is fully automated and designed for complete remote management, supporting both routine operation and prompt diagnostic action if issues arise.