Pioneering carbon negative aggregate specialist Carbon8 Aggregates is set to more than double production after gaining planning permission to build a second manufacturing facility at Avonmouth, near Bristol, southwest England.
Work on the €5.1 million (£4 million) project will begin later this year and the plant is expected to be fully operational by early 2016, more than doubling Carbon8’s ability to meet rising construction industry demand for its high quality, lightweight aggregates.
Using an award-winning patented technique known as Accelerated Carbonation Technology (ACT), Carbon8’s manufacturing process is able to permanently capture more carbon dioxide (CO2) than is generated during manufacture, making Carbon8 Aggregate (C8A) the world’s first truly carbon negative aggregate.
Already in use by a number of leading national construction materials companies to produce lightweight concrete blocks, the technology has won a host of industry awards.
Steve Greig, managing director, said: “Winning planning permission for this new facility is a significant step forward for Carbon8, and will help us meet the ever-increasing demand for our products from the concrete products industry and wider construction sector.
“Our ability to produce carbon negative aggregates has really captured the imagination of the building trade and provides a sustainable and cost effective alternative to natural aggregates, which are in increasingly short supply.
“We hope this new development will be a stepping stone to our ambition to build further facilities over the next two to three years.”
Among its many uses, C8A can be used in the manufacture of concrete masonry blocks, and other pre-cast concrete applications, such as architectural and ornamental products; as well as in ready-mix concrete and lightweight screed systems, reducing both weight and carbon footprint.
As part of the production process, Carbon8 uses its patented technology to recycle waste flue gas treatment residues (FGT) from Energy from Waste (EfW) facilities, giving EfW operators an alternative to disposing of FGT into landfill.
The new purpose built ‘Accelerated Carbonation Technology’ facility at Avonmouth will include silo storage for incoming incinerator residues, storage for associated fillers and binders, a new building to house the processing equipment, and covered storage bays for the aggregate produced by the process.
The company has already signed a contract for the project with Worksop, central England-based Wrights Engineering, who will be responsible for the design, manufacture, installation and commissioning of the process equipment.
The development, which will create at least 20 new jobs, will complement Carbon8’s existing facility at Brandon, Suffolk. Last year, it saw the addition of a €1.91 million (£1.5 million) second production line, also installed by Wrights Engineering, as well as investment in new silo capacity and new aggregate storage.
