Displaying items by tag: UK
UK: Heidelberg Materials UK has opened a new circular materials hub at its Appleford depot in Oxfordshire. The site will recycle construction waste for use in low-CO2 building materials. The move advances the company’s strategy to conserve natural materials and support the circular economy.
Recycling managing director James Whitelaw said “Recycling, reusing and reducing the use of primary raw materials is crucial to reaching net zero. Our network of recycling hubs will allow us to provide the most sustainable products to our customers through circularity and innovation to enable building more with less.”
UK: CRH subsidiary Tarmac has partnered with sensors specialist Converge to launch predictive AI-enhanced sensors for use in concrete mix optimisation. The equipment can reduce reliance on traditional cube testing, helping to shorten construction timelines. The sensors are available to all Tarmac customers.
Tarmac ready-mix concrete head Andrew Campling said "This new partnership with Converge means we can offer even more innovations to customers as part of our lower carbon CEVO concrete brand. Alongside other solutions, including our new online carbon calculator and the easy-to-use CEVO rating system, we're providing our customers with the tools to help them reduce carbon on construction projects."
Converge CEO Raphael Scheps said "The pairing of CEVO with Converge's sensors and AI technology is a perfect match for concrete decarbonisation. By packaging our technology with Tarmac's low embodied carbon mixes, contractors can build sustainably with the confidence that they're getting all the performance they need. We're proud to be partnering with Tarmac to offer leading AI solutions to the construction industry."
UK: Recycling company Scott Bros plans to install a plant to produce low carbon concrete made from filter cake at its soil wash plant in Middlesbrough. The company has been working with Teesside University on a series of trials to find by how much it can reduce the amount of ordinary Portland cement (OPC) it is using in its concrete mixes. It has been researching how to use filter cake, a fine-grained clay, which it produces as a by-product from its two ‘urban quarries’ which convert construction and excavation waste into sand and aggregate. The silicate clay-rich filter cake, which has cementitious properties, is currently used as low value BS-certified pond lining material or inert engineering fill.
The €715,000 research project is being funded by Innovate UK, part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), the UK’s innovation agency.
Small Business Research Initiative launches reduced-CO2 concrete innovation competition
19 February 2024UK: The UK Small Business Research Initiative (SBRI) has launched a competition for projects that promote the commercial adoption of reduced-CO2 concrete. The competition aims to foster collaboration between concrete users and clean technology developers. It commands US$3.78m in total available funding from Innovate UK. Winning projects will claim full funding up to a total value of US$631,000. Applicants can participate by submitting a real world demonstration of their innovation or an equivalent approach on the Innovate UK website.
The competition is supported by the Concrete Commitment Cohort (CCC), a new alliance of UK concrete users that includes Anglian Water, the Environment Agency, Ferrovial Construction, HS2, JN Bentley, Laing O’Rourke, National Highways, Sellafield Sites, Transport for London, United Utilities and WSP.
Recycl8 and Breedon Group complete first large-scale commercial pour of R8 Mix reduced-CO2 concrete
13 February 2024UK: Recycl8 has completed its first large-scale commercial project in partnership with Breedon Group. The partners supplied R8 Mix reduced-CO2 concrete for the installation of an industrial floor slab at Aurora Energy Services site in Inverness. R8 Mix concrete is produced using incinerator bottom ash and Breedon Group’s blended cement.
Recycl8 chief executive officer Mark Gillespie said "We are excited to be working with Aurora Energy Services. It is particularly gratifying for us to be carrying out our first large-scale commercial project with an organisation which is committed to supporting the energy sector transition to net zero, with a particular focus on the renewables sector. With our commitment to fostering a sustainable, circular-economy future for the construction industry by playing our part in lowering carbon emissions from concrete manufacture, we share the same values and synergies."
Tarmac launches CEVO reduced-CO2 concrete brand
05 February 2024UK: CRH-subsidiary Tarmac has launched the new CEVO umbrella brand for its reduced-CO2 concrete range. A colour-coded labelling system of strength and sustainability ratings also accompanies the new brand. The CEVO range will be the UK’s first to align entirely with the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE)’s Low Carbon Concrete Routemap. Tarmac has also released a new carbon calculator, benchmarked against the Green Construction Board standard and calculated in accordance with PAS 2050 lifecycle assessment methodology. This includes a major update to the new BS8500 British concrete standard, which allows up to 20% limestone filler in concrete. The company has also developed an alkali-activated material (AACM) system in line with the new standard.
Tarmac’s head of readymix concrete performance Andrew Campling said "We've listened to our customers and made the process of accessing transparent data and procuring lower carbon concrete as simple as possible. Through the benchmarking, the options to deliver carbon savings are even easier to understand and measure - it is designed to be specification made simple."
Heidelberg Materials acquires 100% of Smiths Concrete
29 January 2024UK: Heidelberg Materials has acquired the outstanding Smiths Concrete shares from the Smiths family. Smiths Concrete operates seven concrete plants, two quarries and an inert landfill site across Warwickshire and Oxfordshire in the centre of England. It has owned a minority stake in the Banbury-headquartered joint venture since its inception in 1957.
Going forward, Smiths Concrete will continue to operate as a stand-alone entity and there are no plans currently to change its branding or day-to-day operations. Similarly, it will continue to seek approval for its proposed new sand and gravel quarry at Wasperton Farm in Warwickshire, England.
Aggregate Industries acquires Eco-Readymix
11 January 2024UK: Holcim subsidiary Aggregate Industries has acquired mortars producer Eco-Readymix. Aggregate Industries that the acquisition will reinforce its position in the north west of England, and help to establish its place in the mortars market.
Aggregate Industries CEO Dragan Maksimovic said “This also marks our entry into the UK mortars market with a knowledgeable and ambitious management that has multiple synergies with our own. The acquisition supports our long-term strategy to continue to grow our business in order to become the UK’s leading supplier of sustainable construction materials and solutions.”
Oscrete acquires increased stake in Adcrete
06 December 2023Ireland/UK: UK-based construction chemicals company Oscrete has raised its stake in its Northern Ireland-based distributor, Adcrete, to 90%. The group says that this will enlarge its customer base across Ireland in line with its 2024 strategic growth plan.
Director Scott Wilson said “The strengthened Oscrete business model and presence in Ireland will ensure the team has the infrastructure and the expertise to become the leading supplier of concrete admixtures and additives in the country.” He added “Our growth and turnover in Ireland has increased by 200% in the last four years and this growth serves to support the wider business operations.”
New UK concrete standard facilitates reduced-CO2 mixes
04 December 2023UK: The British Standards Institution has introduced a revised BS 8500 standard for concrete. The revised BS 8500 standard opens new possibilities for concrete producers to combine CEMII/A-L Portland limestone cement (PLC) and ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBFS) in a wider range of exposure classes.
Mineral Products Association (MPA) chair and Cemex UK Materials managing director Lex Russell said “As the first UK company to introduce net-zero CO2 concrete in 2020, we have the ongoing responsibility to deliver lower carbon products at scale. The incoming changes to BS 8500 are welcomed by all at Cemex as it underpins our ambitious global goal for Vertua lower-carbon cement and concrete products to reach half of all cement and concrete sales by 2025.” He added “The amended concrete standard will serve to keep us on track with our decarbonisation goals, with the primary objective to become a net-zero CO2 company by 2050. It also aligns with our Future in Action programme to achieve sustainable excellence through climate action, circularity and natural resource management.”