Investing in technology

New lime kiln at Tunstead

At our lime production facility in Tunstead, we installed a £13.4 million energy-efficient kiln in 2010. In 2011, this continued to achieve a 58% reduction in energy used compared to the older kilns it replaced. The kiln recovers heat more efficiently, thereby reducing the amount of energy needed to make lime. This is just one of several energy-efficient plants that we have installed at strategic locations across the UK to deliver major CO₂ and cost savings.

Efficient vehicles

In 2011, we upgraded our mobile plant, purchasing 18 items of new, energy-efficient equipment, including loading shovels, dumpers and excavators. This new equipment has, so far, cut fuel use by 10%, with a subsequent reduction in CO₂. Tarmac and our hauliers use energy-efficient vehicles as standard, with high-specification features including eco modes, auto idle, eco gearboxes, regenerative braking, and engines that regulate emissions levels effectively, such as the new, efficient Euro V versions.

In 2011, Tarmac Marine Dredging (TMD) repainted its gravel-dredging ship the City of Westminster with an innovative paint that has multiple sustainability benefits, saving costs and reducing carbon emissions while protecting sea-life.

Read more about Smooth paint

Moisture reduction systems

In 2011, we continued rolling out our moisture reduction programme at our sand and gravel quarries, by investing in a new moisture reduction system at Ebchester quarry. This involved installing pipework, filter media and a vacuum pump system to remove moisture from sands and gravels used by some of our asphalt plants.

Cutting the moisture content in our sands and gravels reduces the weight and volume of the aggregates. This mean that it takes fewer transport journeys to deliver the aggregates, the trucks use less fuel as the materials weigh less, and it takes less energy to remove moisture during subsequent asphalt production. Overall, the system has cut moisture from about 13% down to 9% and we plan to optimise the system further in 2012.

Investing in new RAP technology

In 2011, our Cornelly quarry in Wales installed the UK’s second RAP (Reclaimed Asphalt Planings) Ecological Dryer (RED), an innovative RAP recycling system.

The new dryer accepts a mix of RAP and virgin aggregates, fed directly from the existing cold feed system, removing the need for additional equipment – which helps improve site safety. The RED system is even more energy efficient than conventional hot or cold RAP addition systems. These technologies are helping us to increase the use of recycled and RAP materials in our asphalt products to the permitted maximum of 50%, and to conserve primary aggregates.