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While the focus for many manufactures has been on reducing PM and NOx in diesel engines, those same on-highway companies have also been looking at alternative fuels. The most successful for truck use has been compressed natural gas, which can be used on its own or in a dual-fuel engine. Now Cummins is bringing this dual-fuel technology to the mining sector with the introduction of the QSK60 Dual Fuel engine, for use in heavy rigid mining trucks. The engine can be run on diesel fuel alone, or in dual-fuel mo

Innovative new technologies are helping reduce road construction costs. Patrick Smith reports. Road construction in many regions of the world has been booming in recent years but it is an expensive business. Indeed, anything to reduce costs and speed up the rate of construction is welcomed by those involved in procuring high quality roads. New technologies and new products are unveiled regularly, but aggregates, virgin or recycled, remain an integral part of construction being used in both asphalt and concr

Dan Gilkes looks at emissions regulations and how engine manufacturers have and are meeting standards. On-highway truck manufacturers in Europe have started to take the wraps off their Euro 6 engine solutions, introducing a range of trucks capable of dealing with ever more stringent emissions control. Why should we in the off-highway market care, you might ask? Our regulations are different to the on-highway market after all. However, while on-highway regulations don’t include quarry equipment, they will ce

Aggregates consumption in parts of the world is on the increase, offering opportunities for crushing and screening companies. Patrick Smith and Guy Woodford report. An in-depth report published earlier this year claims that the global market for construction aggregates is expected to increase 5.2%/year through to 2015. Reaching an estimated 48.3 billion tonnes this represents a slower rate of growth than during 2005-2010. While this reflects a moderation in aggregates-intensive non-building construction act

Terex Washing Systems (TWS) has launched a dedicated customer-focused website specifically for its washing product range following the recent launch of its washing systems product line. TWS says it is now the single provider of washing equipment within Terex and offers a product portfolio including sand wash and fines recovery plants, log washers, hoppers, feeders, conveyors, dewatering screens, static screens, and mobile, static and modular rinsers. With the addition of combination plants and water managem

Lafarge has reached an agreement with Elementia to combine their cement assets in Mexico. Lafarge will bring its two plants of Vito and Tula for a total capacity close to 1 million tonnes while Elementia will contribute the new 1 million tonneplant it is currently building in central Mexico. Lafarge says this combination will significantly strengthen its position in Mexico. The transaction, which involves no cash and is subject to regulatory approvals, is expected to close in H2, 2013, pursuant to the star

British Prime Minister David Cameron visited a construction and demolition waste recycling plant in the city of Oxford, England, to see the latest recycling technology in action. His visit preceded the publication of the UK Government’s mid-term review which sets out plans for investment in new road programmes, details of which will be published over the coming months. During his visit he saw how construction and demolition waste material could be effectively recycled for use on road construction projects.

Martin Isles, health and safety director of Britain’s Mineral Products Association and chairman of UEPG’s health and safety committee, explains the policies that are powering the UK industry towards achieving the ultimate goal of Zero Harm. Having dealt effectively, in terms of health and safety, with its inglorious past, the mineral products industry in Great Britain has now moved from being one of the most hazardous industries in the last century, to become acknowledged leader of its sector today. As such

A limestone quarry has been producing its material since Roman times. A quarry company which says it has trebled it sales in the past year has invested in a new telehandler Farmington Natural Stone at Northleach, outside the town of Cheltenham in County Gloucestershire, south-west England, is based in an area that has been producing natural Cotswold limestone since Roman times. “It is an Oolitic limestone and is acknowledged to be an excellent construction material. Its widespread use throughout the country

The quarry in Ribarroja del Turia, Spain, holds 30 million tonnes of limestone and spreads over some 16km. Some 60 million years ago prehistoric life roamed the Aristaria limestone quarry in Valencia on the east coast of Spain. The enormous pit that has been there since the Jurassic period resembles a giant meteor crater hammered into the earth, and the sun beating down on white crystallised rock creates quite a surreal experience. The quarry in Ribarroja del Turia holds 30 million tonnes of limestone, spre

The HeidelbergCement Group is working hard to change lives for the better in Africa. A group of HeidelbergCement volunteers has just got back from Tanzania after helping to rebuild two school classrooms at the Kighare Secondary School, near Usangi in the Kilimanjaro Region. The school was badly battered by heavy rains last year, and whole classrooms were swept away. A team from the HeidelbergCement Competence Center Materials in Belgium put the finishing touches to the two new rooms earlier this autumn, usi

Barrack Hill Quarries supplies high quality materials for the Irish construction industry. Patrick Smith reports. Since its incorporation in 1992, Barrack Hill Quarries has played an increasingly important role in the supply of high quality aggregates and stone to the Irish construction industry. The 100 acre (40.5 hectares) quarries dates back some 50 years and at present boasts stockpiles of 2 million tonnes of crushed materials of various sizes while producing an estimated 750,000tonnes each year. With i

Tarmac is carrying out a phased programme to restore 30 hectares at a quarry in the north of England. Scorton Quarry in County North Yorkshire, England, is a busy and complex operational site. It extracts, processes and sells approximately 450,000tonnes of sand and gravel each year, and in 2008 owners Tarmac began Phase 1 of an ambitious programme to restore 30 hectares of the site, carrying out significant work transforming the landscape and adopting a grassland management programme helping to protect a di

Lafarge and Anglo American (Tarmac) have completed their 50:50 joint venture which combines their cement, aggregates, ready-mix concrete, asphalt and asphalt surfacing, maintenance services, and waste services businesses in the United Kingdom. The joint venture will be known as Lafarge Tarmac and it has started trading. Completion of the Lafarge Tarmac joint venture follows final clearance from the UK Competition Commission, predicated on the completed sale of a portfolio of Tarmac and Lafarge construction

Through its building and public works branch Eiffage Travaux Publics, French group Eiffage has acquired quarry operator Budillon Rabatel. The amount of the transaction has not been revealed. Budillon Rabatel is based in Isère and employs 144 people across 13 production sites. Each year, it produces roughly 3 million tonnes of aggregate. The acquisition is set to allow Eiffage to strengthen its position in quarry operating in France and double its production in the Rhône-Alpes region.

The UK’s Mineral Products Association (MPA) and two of its constituent bodies, the British Lime Association (BLA) and the British Marine Aggregate Producers Association (BMAPA), have published their latest Sustainable Development (SD) Reports. MPA’s SD reports aim to further improve the quality and reporting of sustainability data to achieve more transparency and better communication of sustainability. Nigel Jackson, chief executive MPA, said: “Against the continuing difficult economic backdrop, which sees

Impressive economic growth rates have been seen in the Baltic states as Julie-Anne Ryan reports. In general economic terms, the Baltic States have in recent years been held up as paragons of hard-nosed recovery. As much of Europe rises slowly from the detritus of the global downturn, scarred and cautious, Estonia has been seen to be leading its fellows, Latvia and Lithuania, with positivity and optimism. Unemployment has gone down as industry has grown and exports have increased. In the first quarter of 20

European Commission opinions on the application of Article 6(4) of the Habitats Directive highlight the possibilities of development in the public interest. Aggregates and minerals companies have traditionally steered clear of derogation tests included in article 6(4) of the Habitats Directive, which would allow developments to proceed in protected areas if they meet public interest tests, there is no alternative and environmental compensation is offered. This article offers an overview of the legislation a

A review of the Environmental Impact Assessment Directive and its implications for the Aggregates Industry. Environmental assessment is a procedure that ensures the environmental implications of decisions are taken into account before the decisions are made. Environmental assessment can be undertaken for individual projects. On 26 October, the European Commission (EC) adopted a proposal for a new Directive (COM(2012)628) that would amend the current Directive on Environmental Impact Assessments (2011/92/EU)

Ken MacLean has a senior job with building materials group Lafarge but he still likes the outdoors - and racing cars. Julie-Anne Ryan reports. There’s nothing more “outdoors” than a quarry, so Ken MacLean’s current position as senior vice president of aggregate performance at Lafarge Group isn’t totally out of kilter with his professional beginnings, or his lifelong interests. MacLean has been with the company for 25 years. He grew up, though, in the family business, an industrial supply company that bought