Success Story:
Closing the Loop –

01

The Challenge

The RCO Recycling Center in Eastern Switzerland had a bold vision: to create one of Europe’s most advanced wet-mechanical processing plants for mineral construction waste. The goal was to process contaminated excavation and demolition material, remove harmful substances, and return recyclable components to the construction cycle — efficiently, safely, and sustainably.

02

The Requirements

Processing 200,000 tons of material per year with highly variable input characteristics posed a major challenge. The solution had to deliver high throughput, flexible operation, automated cleaning, and seamless integration into a multi-level processing system — while meeting the highest environmental and quality standards.

03

The Solution: A Custom High-Performance Filter Press with Intelligent Sensors

MSE developed a membrane filter press tailored to RCO’s exact specifications — from system layout to automated features:

• 130 filter plates (2 × 2 m)
• 850 m² filtration area
• 12,000-liter chamber volume
• 15 bar operating pressure
• Automatic cloth washing, cake discharge (rattler), and drip tray
• 2FAST discharge technology for short cycle times
• Dual-sided filling for uniform sludge distribution
• i-Plate sensor technology for real-time residual moisture monitoring
• Remote access via industrial router

04

The core innovation:

i-Plate sensors inside the filter plates continuously measure moisture levels, enabling adaptive dewatering cycles — especially valuable with fluctuating sludge compositions.

05

The Result

The system delivers consistently high dry matter content, with filter cake suitable for reuse in cement production or landfill applications. Harmful components are reliably separated and disposed of, while water is fully recycled within the system. Despite variable input, the press runs reliably, requires minimal maintenance, and integrates seamlessly into RCO’s automated infrastructure.

06

Value Delivered to RCO

MSE’s filtration technology plays a key role in making circular economy tangible. It helps RCO:

• Reduce dependence on primary raw materials
• Lower CO2 emissions
• Reintroduce valuable materials into the supply chain
• Ensure safe and sustainable separation of contaminants

This installation is not just a technical success — it sets a benchmark for sustainable construction recycling in practice.

07

RCO: New filter press goes into operation

Experience how the latest filter press technology is introduced at RCO: from the spectacular delivery of the filter press weighing several tons to its successful commissioning.

Watch video on Youtube