Total Aggregates launch ReCO2
Company partners with O.C.O Technology to produce new reduced-carbon hybrid aggregate
TOTAL Aggregates have announced the launch of ReCO2, their new, reduced-carbon aggregate. The recently developed hybrid aggregate is said to significantly reduce the carbon footprint of any construction project and demonstrates the company’s commitment to improving sustainability in the industry by offering both performance and environmental benefits.
According to the Mineral Products Association, 250 million tonnes of aggregate are used in Great Britain every year with only 30% being recycled or secondary aggregates, which still contribute to carbon emissions.
To achieve net zero in construction the industry needs products that consume more CO2 than they emit during production. ReCO2 is a hybrid aggregate that uses O.C.O Technology’s manufactured limestone (M-LS) with high-purity Carboniferous limestone (C-LS) to create unbound aggregates that are capable of truly reducing carbon in construction.
Total Aggregates have partnered with O.C.O Technology, who are experts in the application of Accelerated Carbonation Technology (ACT) for carbon capture. ACT is a genuine carbon capture and utilization (CCU) process whereby carbon dioxide is permanently captured as stable carbonate minerals.
Very little energy is required for the process, which relies upon the reactivity of the waste material. Many wastes are naturally reactive with carbon dioxide in the presence of water. If the conditions are carefully controlled, this natural reaction can be accelerated, taking place in minutes rather than years and resulting in the formation of calcium carbonate (manufactured limestone).
Total Aggregates director Richard Hextall said: ‘ReCO2 offers a genuinely sustainable aggregate without compromising on quality. We believe all environmental claims should be verified, which is why ReCO2 comes with an Environmental Product Declaration (EPD).
‘Using uniform feedstocks and a digitally controlled blending system, ReCO2 hybrid aggregate properties do not fluctuate like other recycled aggregates and incinerator bottom ash aggregate (IBAA),’ he explained. ‘Our blending plant is the only one of its kind in the UK and the first in the world to blend aggregates to Type 1 MOT specification.’
To support the launch, Total Aggregates held an open day at their Boston Sidings site where visitors were able to find out more about ReCO2 and see the production process in action. The site is equipped with a cutting-edge Terracon blending plant designed to revolutionize the efficient mixing of large volumes of materials, which are fully blended to ensure there are no pockets of M-LS or C-LS. ‘The thoroughly blended material is discharged to stockpile and the ReCO2 Type 1 MOT sub-base is ready to go,’ said Mr Hextall.
‘The Open Day was a huge success,’ he added. ‘We welcomed over 70 people and conducted several tours of the site in groups of 10, enabling them to see the products and blending process close-up. Supported by O.C.O Technology, Terracon, and our own Total Aggregates team, visitors had the opportunity to find out everything they wanted to know about ReCO2. Since the event we have received very positive feedback both about the product and the Open Day itself and hope to run similar events in the future.
‘The launch of ReCO2 is an exciting development, not just for our business, but for the industry as a whole as we move towards a more sustainable future,’ said Mr Hextall.
