New Carbon8 plant at Avonmouth gets green light
Carbon8 win planning permission to double production of carbon negative aggregates in the UK
CARBON Negative aggregate specialists Carbon8 are set to double production capacity after gaining planning permission to build a second manufacturing facility at Avonmouth, near Bristol.
Work on the £4 million project will begin later this year and the plant is expected to be fully operational by early 2016, more than doubling the company’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 said to permanently capture more carbon dioxide 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 construction materials companies to produce lightweight concrete blocks, the technology has won a host of industry awards.
Steve Greig, managing director of Carbon8, said: ‘Winning planning permission for this new facility is a significant step forward for Carbon8 and it 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 material 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 plant 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 aggregates produced during the process.
The company has already signed a contract for the project with Worksop-based Wrights Engineering, who will be responsible for the design, manufacture, installation and commissioning of the processing equipment.
The Avonmouth facility, which will create at least 20 new jobs, will complement Carbon8’s existing plant at Brandon, Suffolk. Last year, the waste treatment plant saw the addition of a £1.5 million second production line, increased silo capacity and new aggregates storage.
