Heidelberg manufactures cement in Brevik, Norway, using carbon capture. The carbon saved from this process is then tracked and allocated to supplies of evoZero cement for projects where the customer wants a lower carbon product, allowing the company to scale its low carbon cement production. This avoids creating new emissions by transporting limited supplies of CCS-produced material around the world.聽It is currently working on adding carbon capture storage to a cement plant at Padeswood in Wales.
The evoZero cement was used in Redbridge to form the kerb, edging haunching, and in the the sub-base of the footway.
Heidelberg Materials also supplied the asphalt to resurface the carriageway and footway on Heathcote Avenue. A total of 275 tonnes of binder course material was laid which incorporated 25 per cent reclaimed asphalt (RA) as well as 6.5 per cent ACLA鈥攁 negative carbon product鈥攁t the request of the client.
The 248 tonnes of asphalt surface course contained Heidelberg Materials鈥� CarbonLock bio-binder and was produced using its Era 140 warm mix process. The CarbonLock binder contains biogenic materials that absorb and store CO鈧� from the atmosphere during their life. This CO鈧� is permanently 鈥榣ocked鈥� into the asphalt, even when it is recycled at the end of its life, reducing the carbon footprint of the asphalt.
It is estimated that the inclusion of biogenic materials within the binder locks in around six tonnes of CO鈧� per kilometre of road, rather than releasing it back into the atmosphere. This helps further reduce emissions and provides at least a 25 per cent reduction in carbon emissions compared with standard hot mix asphalt.
Heidelberg Materials鈥� Era 140 warm mix asphalt (WMA) process allows the material to be produced at up to 40潞C lower temperature than conventional hot mix asphalt, saving fuel and helping to cut the CO鈧� emissions associated with production by up to 15 per cent. The lower production temperature also improves working conditions and allows faster completion of work.
The footway surface course was also produced using the Era 140 process and included 25 per cent RA 鈥� the first time this level of recycled materials has been trialled in a footway mix in Redbridge.
鈥淭he use of evoZero carbon-captured near-zero cement was vital in helping to minimise the carbon impact of the improvement project,鈥� said James Moorhouse, Regional Director for Concrete at Heidelberg Materials UK.
鈥淲e worked closely with Kenson Highways to ensure all the materials used
performed correctly while also delivering the desired carbon benefits. The project is a great example of supply chain collaboration to meet the client鈥檚 objectives.鈥�
David Shelley, director, Kenson Highways, said: 鈥淥ur aim on this scheme was to achieve the best possible carbon reduction.
鈥淚nitial calculations indicate that we saved over 75 tonnes of carbon overall, with the greatest single saving coming from the use of evoZero cement, which accounted for more than 35 per cent of the total.
鈥淲ithout the support and expertise of Heidelberg Materials鈥� technical teams, and the introduction of these innovative low-carbon products, we would not have been able to achieve anything close to this level of saving.鈥�