Heidelberg Materials’ Greenwich plant proves zero concrete waste process
- Heidelberg Materials UK has achieved its ambition to produce zero concrete waste at its Greenwich plant in London.
- The milestone confirms the site’s credentials as a circular construction materials supply hub.
- Using a concrete waste recycling system, aggregates and cementitious fines are recovered from returned concrete and recycled back into Heidelberg Materials’ products.
- The Greenwich site offers a wide range of innovative sustainable options including supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs), CarbonCure technology and recycled crushed concrete aggregate (CCA).
- It is also home to the company’s evoHub concrete training centre, which offers contractors, consultants and engineers the opportunity to experience lower carbon material solutions in practice.
Heidelberg Materials UK has proven the process to produce zero concrete waste at its Greenwich plant in London.
The milestone reinforces the site’s credentials as a circular construction materials supply hub and aligns with Heidelberg Materials’ commitment to minimise its carbon impact.
A new concrete waste recycling system has been installed at the site, based at Victoria Deep Water on the River Thames, which ensures aggregates and cementitious fines are recovered from returned concrete and recycled back into new material production. The system also allows all of the water used to clean the trucks to be reused.
The company’s Greenwich concrete plant provides customers with its lowest carbon concrete range, which includes evoZero carbon captured near-zero cement, evoBuild GGBS, limestone fines, natural pozzolans and calcined clay.
It can also supply high quality recycled crushed concrete aggregate (CCA), which can be used to replace primary aggregate in the production of ready-mixed concrete.
In addition, the plant is enabled with CarbonCure technology, which can reduce the CO₂ associated with concrete by around 7-11kg/m3. The process involves injecting pure, manufactured CO₂ into fresh concrete which undergoes a chemical reaction to become permanently mineralised making hydration more efficient. This delivers stronger concrete and permanently locks in CO₂, even at end of life, and allows the cement content within the concrete to be reduced by an average of five per cent.
The Greenwich site is also home to a concrete lab and Heidelberg Materials’ evoHub concrete training centre, which offers contractors, consultants and engineers the opportunity to experience lower carbon concrete solutions in practice.
“Our Greenwich concrete plant is a great example of our commitment to investing in innovation and decarbonising our business so that we can provide our customers with lower carbon construction materials that support the circular economy,” said Daniel Clayton, Concrete Technical Director at Heidelberg Materials UK.
“The location of our concrete lab and evoHub training centre on site makes it an ideal place for customers to visit to learn about the lower carbon concrete solutions we offer and discuss opportunities for collaborating to develop more in the future.”
A range of the solutions offered at Greenwich are also available from the company’s other London concrete plants. Find out more:
https://www.heidelbergmaterials.co.uk/en/concrete/london