Key Takeaways:
- Construction waste is a significant problem, with the construction industry responsible for over one third of all waste generated in Europe and over 40% of carbon emissions.
- Morphit, a technology developed by the Israeli company Rom, turns construction waste into valuable new building materials, including blocks, panels, and partitions.
- The technology does not require sorting or separating the waste by type, making it a more efficient and cost-effective solution.
- The recycled materials meet strength tests comparable to those of conventional building materials and contain up to 80% recycled construction waste.
- The technology has the potential to reduce illegal dumping, incentivize recycling, and promote green construction practices.
Introduction to Construction Waste
Construction waste is one of the biggest headaches for contractors, with broken blocks, torn drywall, chunks of concrete, leftover plaster, and sand piling up quickly. It is heavy, takes up space, and costs contractors large sums of money to transport to landfill sites. This reality helps explain why makeshift dumping sites, illegal landfills, and piles of pirate construction waste appear across the country, and why enforcement against offenders remains so difficult. However, what if there were a way to turn trash into cash, or in this case, to turn construction waste into valuable new building materials?
The Morphit Technology
That is precisely what Morphit, a technology developed by the Israeli company Rom from the Luzon Group, aims to do. The technology turns construction waste from a discarded liability into building materials, including blocks, panels, and partitions. Morphit makes it possible to produce strong and durable construction materials, both building mixtures and finished products such as blocks, panels, walls, and partitions. One major advantage sets it apart from earlier recycling methods: the process does not require sorting or separating the waste by type. This makes the technology more efficient and cost-effective, as it eliminates the need for labor-intensive sorting and separation processes.
Development of the Morphit Technology
Ariel Abram, Rom’s CEO, says he often sees construction projects in Tel Aviv surrounded by enormous piles of debris. "That image is burned into my mind as something that makes no sense. It does not fit our era," he said. "We are constantly looking for ways to become more efficient, to work in a more modern and greener way." The company’s search for a solution led to a partnership with the consulting firm Practical Innovation, which helped launch early experiments in recycling construction waste. The results are visible in the finished products, with crushed material transformed into partitions, walls, and bricks.
The Recycling Process
The process includes crushing construction materials, mixing them with binding agents and water, and then casting them into molds to create blocks, panels, and similar products. The finished components contain up to 80% recycled construction waste, an exceptionally high proportion. The recycled components also meet strength tests comparable to those of conventional building materials. According to Yael Hirsch Shemesh, the head of development at Practical Innovation, the collaboration with Rom was a model process. "We carried out a very strong waste treatment process together," she said. "We build teams of experts in relevant fields and develop the product with them."
Environmental Impact
The construction industry is responsible for more than one third of all waste generated in Europe and over 40% of carbon emissions. Data from Israel’s Environmental Protection Ministry show that in 2024, 7.5 million tons of construction waste were sent to landfills in Israel, at high cost and with significant environmental damage. Despite this, there has been no efficient and affordable solution for recycling construction waste, and the situation is even more complex. A substantial portion of construction debris never reaches landfill or recycling sites at all, instead being dumped illegally, often generating quick profits for transport contractors.
Future Applications
The Morphit technology has the potential to reduce illegal dumping, incentivize recycling, and promote green construction practices. The recycled materials could support entirely new applications, such as furniture, flooring, and other building products. With a designer’s or architect’s eye, you can develop ideas that were never possible before, according to Abram. The real news here is the technology itself, the ability to take waste and turn it into something else. It could be partitions, blocks, furniture, flooring. The adjustments are possible. The breakthrough is taking waste away from landfills and reusing it without sorting. That is the real innovation.
Commercialization and Integration
The project is currently transitioning from research and development to regulatory approvals, standards certification, and commercial production. Options under review include in-house manufacturing, partnerships with other producers, or licensing the technology abroad. Abram said the company has focused on maintaining competitive pricing. "Although we see globally that people are willing to pay more for green products, we estimate with high confidence that prices will not be higher and our goal is for them to be lower," he said. While international markets, particularly Europe, are a key target, Rom also plans to integrate the products into projects in Israel. Awareness of green construction and recycling is much higher in Europe, and there is openness to new ideas, according to Abram.