Thames Water is planning to splash out £1.6bn on upgrading sewage treatment works and sewer networks over the next two years.
An extra 150 extra staff have been taken on at Thames Water’s capital delivery team to raise its capability to deliver complex engineering projects at pace.
Its fast-tracked programme will see significant upgrades to wastewater treatment plants and sewerage networks to reduce storm discharges and pollution incidents.
The spending splurge will help Thames Water to reduce the total annual duration of discharges by 50% by 2030 compared to a 2020 baseline. This commitment includes an 80% reduction in discharges in particularly sensitive catchments.
Over the next two years, starting in April, the water company will pump £1.12bn into sewage treatment plant expansion, including £650m on enhancing and upgrading over 135 existing sites to improve resilience and provide additional capacity.
During this period, Thames Water will also spend a further £470m on the wider sewer network.
The £1.6bn spending bonanza sets a new record for investment for a UK water utility and represents a more than twofold increase in Thames Water’s spending on its sewage treatment plants and wider sewer network, compared to the previous two years.
This investment will include allocations for essential maintenance works, such as repairing existing infrastructure, improving treatment standards and increasing capacity at sewage treatment works.
Sarah Bentley, chief executive of Thames Water, said: “The discharge of untreated sewage is unacceptable, and we are committed to tackling this problem.
“We are investing record sums in upgrading our sewer systems and treatment works and are striving every day to reduce the discharge of untreated sewage into our rivers.
“However, there are no quick fixes. Population growth will increase the strain on our sewage network and treatment centres. And because of climate change, the south east of England is experiencing heavier downpours, which can overwhelm some sewage treatment works. The scale of the challenge demands urgent and systemic reform with a shared undertaking from all stakeholders.”
Article by Aaron Morby for constructionenquirer.com
Upgrade to City underground transport hub includes new entrance and ticket hall at Cannon Street.
The £700m upgrade of Bank station has been completed after seven years of construction, transforming London Underground’s major hub in the City into a “like-new, world-class” station.
The opening of a spacious, accessible entrance and ticket hall marks the end of an overhaul that has increased the station capacity by 40% and unpicked a notoriously labyrinthine and busy interchange.
Andy Lord, London’s transport commissioner, said it was “a hugely important moment for the Square Mile, which is now served by a modern, accessible station with vastly improved capacity”.
Tube passenger numbers on weekdays are now at about 75-80% of pre-pandemic levels, but journeys to City stations such as Bank are still lower, at about 70%. At weekends, some central London stations are busier than before Covid, according to Transport for London.
London’s mayor, Sadiq Khan, said the works had “transformed Bank station into a world-class station”, adding it was “like brand-new, just fantastic”. He said: “It serves arguably the most important financial district in Europe and it’s right and proper that it’s got public transport [fit for] the importance of this area.”
However, he warned: “The government’s failures to invest in public transport could mean this is the last big infrastructure project we have. The government’s got to realise, you can’t stand still as a city – or with public transport.
“The worry is, at the moment, we’ve got support for capital for this year, but it dries up next year, which means unfortunately, the progress we’ve made in our capital over the last six, seven years stopping.”
Khan is currently pressing through the expansion of the ultra-low emission zone in London, in the face of opposition from some Conservative-led councils. He said: “I understand why some people are concerned. I’d encourage them to check whether their vehicle is compliant – the reality is that 94% of vehicles are compliant in inner London, 85% in outer London.
“What’s happened is a small vocal minority have used misinformation in their campaign. We’re determined to clean up the air in our city – toxic air is a killer, it’s a matter of life and death.”
The new Cannon Street entrance is the fifth at Bank, which with the adjoined Monument station serves five tube lines and the Docklands Light Railway. More than 1,000 metres of new tunnel were built during the upgrade to allow much quicker interchanges between the lines, while Bank now has 27 escalators, more than any other station on the tube network.
The demand for Quantity Surveyors at all levels is very high currently and with projects all across the UK such as HS2 among others, this trend seems to be here to stay (for the foreseeable future at least).
So how do you become a qualified Quantity Surveyor?
According to the National Careers Service, there are 4 main ways to get into this line of work:
-Through a university course such as a quantity surveying degree, other useful degree subjects include construction, structural or civil engineering, maths and even land studies.
-An apprenticeship such as a Surveying Technician apprenticeship followed by further training on the job or a chartered surveyor or construction quantity surveyor degree apprenticeship.-
By working towards it, you could start as a surveying technician or Assistant Quantity Surveyor and study part time whilst you work and learn.
-Via a graduate scheme with a company or through distance learning.
What skills are desirable in this role?
The ideal Quantity Surveyor will have good maths knowledge, analytical thinking and thorough attention to details.
You’ll also have a solid knowledge of building, construction, engineering and technology. Will be a commercially and contractually astute individual that takes ownership of performance.
A proactive person with a disposition to take action pre-emptively to manage risk and opportunity.
You will also have intermediate to advanced Excel skills
Be a results driven individual with the capability of working on their own initiative.
Ability to deal with large amounts of data accurately and efficiently.
What does a day in the life of a Quantity Surveyor look like?
A Quantity Surveyor normally works alongside a team of other Quantity Surveyors and reports to the Senior Quantity Surveyor who in turns reports to the Managing Quantity Surveyor.
Day to day duties include:
Providing reports to the client’s senior management on the costs associated with the projects.
Advising and approving cost analysis for repair and maintenance project work
Establishing a client’s requirements and undertaking feasibility studies
Performing risk and value management and cost control
Advising on procurement strategy
Managing and advising on the tendering process, including checking and approving tender and contract documents.
Ensuring the preparation of monthly cost/profit forecasts are being carried out.
Providing advice and support to the team when agreeing, with the contractor, suitable sub-contractors to work on projects.
Maintaining knowledge of various subcontractor contracts.
Keep up to date with construction methods and materials.
What is the career progression for a Quantity Surveyor?
Over time and with experience, you could become a Senior Quantity Surveyor or move into Senior Project Management, Commercial Management, consultancy work or self-employment.
For more information from the National Career Service on how to become a Quantity Surveyor, follow this link.
We currently have a lot of new opportunities for Freelance and Permanent Qualified Quantity Surveyors – Check out our Job Board for further details.
Portsmouth Water has awarded £208m worth of contracts to two companies for the creation of a flagship reservoir in South Hampshire, which will hold 8.7 billion litres of water once completed in 2029.
The firm, a portfolio company of experienced investor in critical infrastructure Ancala Partners, awarded £167m to Future Water MJJV Limited for the building of Havant Thicket Reservoir.
A further £41m was awarded to Ward & Burke Construction Limited, who will create a tunelled pipeline in the water-stressed region.
The award followed approval of planning permission for the reservoir and an agreement by Ofwat, the economic regulator for water companies in England, that the project should move ahead.
Lee Mellor, partner at Ancala, described the Havant Thicket Reservoir, the first major new water storage reservoir in the UK since the 1980s, as a “critical step” to enhance water security in the south-east of England, which will generate significant environmental benefits for decades to come.
It has been enabled by an innovative financial, regulatory, and commercial partnership between Portsmouth Water and key project stakeholders.
“We are delighted to support the project through £150m of further investment in Portsmouth Water and are grateful to the company’s management team, as well as the collaboration of Ofwat, customers and Southern Water, for their hard work, partnership, and support in developing this exciting project,” he said.
“Ancala focuses on proprietary investments in critical mid-market infrastructure where we can add meaningful operational value.
“We are pleased to have worked closely with Bob and the team at Portsmouth Water over a number of years to solve complex operational, financial and regulatory challenges to progress this vital project.”
Portsmouth Water has agreed a unique long-term bulk supply agreement with neighbouring water company, Southern Water, with the support of Ofwat, to enable the reliable delivery of 21 million litres of water a day.
In addition, Ancala is supporting Portsmouth Water to secure a £280m financing package to support the construction of the Havant Thicket Reservoir.
The financing package includes £205m of innovative ESG performance-linked financing placing Portsmouth Water among a small leading group of utilities across Europe that are actively integrating ESG metrics into their financing strategy.
Alongside protecting environmentally sensitive chalk streams – the River Test and the River Itchen – the project will provide a new green leisure facility to benefit local communities and wildlife.
There will be a new wetland to support local bird species, footpaths for walking, cycling and horse riding, facilities for bird watching, such as bird hides, and picnic and play areas.
Ofwat recently published its final decision to approve a revised budget for the Havant Thicket Reservoir.
This has enabled Portsmouth Water to award the two main design and construction contracts for the project, with further contracts, including for a new visitor centre at the reservoir, to be awarded in the coming years.
Bob Taylor, chief executive officer at Portsmouth Water, said: “This is a major milestone for the Havant Thicket Reservoir project and for Portsmouth Water.
“The reservoir will safeguard essential water supplies and protect world-renowned chalk streams – the River Test and the River Itchen.
“Ancala’s continued financial and operational support has been crucial to enabling this major project.”
Article by Sarah Walker for infrastructure-intelligence.com
In December last year, we shared an article by the Construction Enquirer about a wall of bubbles used to protect migrating salmon from work being carried out on a dock. A Dutch startup led by sailors and surfers has been using a similar process to stop plastic waste from reaching the sea.
The low-fi pollution solution has proven surprisingly effective in the Netherlands. Now, the technology is set to be rolled out elsewhere in Europe.
The Great Bubble Barrier deploys a perforated tube on riverbeds to create a curtain of bubbles which nudges waste to the bank for collection.
And for such a lo-fi method it’s proven remarkably effective, snagging plastic particles as small as 1mm and intercepting as much as 86 per cent of flotsam in inland waters before it reaches the sea.
It’s a solution that is sorely needed. Every year, more than 8m tonnes of plastic ends up in our oceans, of which 60-80 per cent originates in rivers.
The concept was devised by a team of Dutch ocean lovers in 2017. They came up with a design that catches plastic over a river’s full width and depth, and directs it to a catchment system that collects and compresses the waste.
The first bubble barrier was installed on a waterway in Amsterdam in 2019. And last summer, a second was installed in the mouth of the Oude Rijn (Old Rhine) river at Katwijk in mid-western Netherlands after locals expressed dismay at plastic pollution littering the town’s beach.
The bubble curtain is created by an air compressor running on renewable electricity, which pumps air to the riverbed tube, laid diagonally across the waterway. The bubbles lift plastics to the surface, and the flow of the river channels waste sideways into a catchment system.
Great Bubble Barrier’s method operates 24/7, works regardless of water levels, and allows aquatic life and river traffic to pass unhindered. Following successful trials in the Netherlands, two more bubble barriers are now being planned for Portugal and Germany.
“Rivers are the highway to our oceans, transporting pollution all the way there,” said Francis Zoet, co-founder of the startup. “Our Amsterdam system is preventing 8,000 pieces of plastic from reaching the North Sea each month. But we don’t plan to stop there: the first international systems are on the agenda, and we can’t wait to tackle pollution across our borders.”
All employers and hiring managers know that recruiting new employees can be a long and costly affair, and that’s before inductions and training even take place. Employing the best person for the role will impact on the success of your business and the dynamics of your team.
So, what happens when you are faced with choosing between two great candidates?
First go back to the very beginning and re-examine why you seeking to recruit, what are the teams’, department’s or business’ priorities? What are you looking for in this candidate? What is most important: skills set, experience or maybe both?
If this doesn’t help with the decision……
Invite them both back for another interview and set them a task which they are likely to have should they be employed by you, involve the rest of your team if time/budget allows or better still invite them for a trial day.
This will not only show you who is most likely to perform best on a day to day but can also give you some insights into how the person will affect the company culture.
If at this stage you are still unsure, check their references.
References tends to be obtained once a person has been offered a position, but it is acceptable to ask for them at this stage and this will shed even more light on each candidates’ best attributes but also any not so good attributes.
On the grand scheme of things, it’s not the worst position to be in and in the current market one that most hiring managers perhaps wished they were in. Nonetheless, making the right choice is important.
Still haven’t found the person to fill that position. We can help.
Our service offering is wide ranging for both our clients and candidates and includes permanent recruitment, temporary Recruitment and executive search. Intersect Global can meet your individual recruitment demands in a prompt and professional manner, saving both time and effort whilst instilling confidence in our attitude to recruitment.
When you think about Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) what is the first thing that comes to mind? For most, safety footwear is high on the list, and on the surface, this might seem like a simple ask – just make sure you provide safety footwear – but when you start to look a bit more at the question there are many other factors to consider.
Who is the footwear for? What are they doing that necessitates the protection? Are you their employer? Are they a volunteer? How do you explain all of this to your managers and procurement teams? The list goes on, and in this article, we will answer some of these burning questions and more.
Apologies if you came here looking for a detailed review of the safety standards, there are many excellent articles and resources available to assist you with this. In this article, we will focus on the basics of safety footwear selection and the conversations that you might need to have with workers, managers, budget holders, finance, and procurement teams so that you, the safety professional, can specify footwear which will get those you support1 home safely every day.
What exactly is safety footwear?
So, let’s start at the beginning –what exactly is safety footwear? In its simplest form, it is any footwear worn to protect the user from hazards as defined in the risk assessment for the task being undertaken. This requires you the safety professional, to review the activity and then select appropriate footwear based on the various standards that they are tested to; for example, penetration protection, toe and metatarsal protection and other factors such as water resistance. The footwear needs to be appropriate for both the task, the person, and the environment in which it is being worn. We will take these in turn and explore in more detail.
The task
The first thing you will probably look at when selecting safety footwear is the task. When doing this you will want to check against the international ISO standards which set out how footwear must be tested to ensure that you know the product you are buying will be suitable for the task. The EN ISO standards ensure that the safety features of footwear are tested against a set of European Standards. Whilst this standard was written in Europe it is applied to the safety footwear market worldwide. More information can be found in EN ISO 203452 for safety footwear and EN ISO 203473 for occupational footwear, most recently revised in 2021. There have also been newer standards implemented including EN ISO 132874 for slip resistance and EN ISO 225685,6,7,8 covering toecaps and anti-perforation inserts. The other driver for companies operating in Europe are the PPE Regulations9 which came into force in 2016 with the aim of ensuring common standards for PPE in all Member States.
The place
Once you have taken the task into consideration the next element which can have a marked difference on the requirements of the footwear but also on their longevity is the place they are being used in. If your employees are working in challenging environments, they need footwear which is adequately designed, or its life span will be severely compromised. It is also worth considering the composition of the footwear as newer developments such as composite midsoles and toe caps are far more conducive to colder conditions than steel.
The person
The changing demographics of the world of work and technological advances have made the person a much bigger part of the appropriate selection of safety footwear. Gone are the days of simply saying it needs to be an “S3” and grabbing the first pair off the shelf. Whilst this might seem on the surface to add more complexity to the decision-making process, a correctly fitting pair of safety footwear can have many business benefits, beyond the lift of the footwear itself.
With an increasingly diverse labour market it is essential that safety footwear fits correctly. A style of boot which suits someone of large stature is unlikely to fit someone of a much smaller build and still be comfortable and supportive. When selecting footwear think about who you are buying it for, many brands now offer shoes and boots which are built on either a men’s or women’s last. Significant research has been conducted on this topic by Debbie Janson10 of the University of Bath, she has recently published a paper following a survey of end users of safety footwear the abstract of which can be found on the University of Bath website11.
Debbie has found that “the number of women entering predominantly male industrial environments, and requiring safety footwear is rising, and this is accompanied by anecdotal reports of ill-fitting and uncomfortable footwear”. Her research proactively compares the opinions of women and men regarding their experience of safety footwear.
The other factor to consider is how people walk. Whilst you might not have given this much consideration in the past, this is an important factor in ensuring longevity of the boot by ensuring it wears evenly. It is also an important factor in reducing the likelihood of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs). So, choosing the right pair of boots could reduce the likelihood of lost time due to MSDs and the other costs associated with a member of staff being off sick including costs to cover the work, administration costs, potential reputational damage and even civil claims.
When we walk with a neutral gait shoes and boots will wear evenly, but if the foot rolls outwards or inwards when we walk the footwear will wear unevenly with either the outside or inside wearing quicker than the other part – causing the footwear to have to be replaced sooner than it otherwise might have been. You might be thinking that there’s nothing you can do to counter this but there is a simple answer, and it is insoles. Safety footwear providers and manufacturers can supply insoles designed to correct under and over pronation of the foot, making the footwear more comfortable, less likely to cause MSDs and with an overall longer life span. Many manufacturers will also be willing to visit companies and undertake assessments of employees to identify any individuals who would benefit from additional support.
Polbridge Health Ltd12 who provide Occupational Health services to the aviation, construction and haulage industries has seen more and more referrals due to MSDs from badly fitting or uncomfortable footwear.
Joanna Stacey Leeks Clinical Director at Polbridge Health Ltd. noted that “With safety footwear becoming more prevalent in the workplace, we are seeing a greater number of referrals due to associated MSDs… by not selecting the correct footwear many companies will suffer the indirect costs of Occupational Health referrals, treatment, time off and staff illness”.
The composition of the footwear is also of consideration when taking the person into account as composite footwear tends to be wider than steel and therefore more comfortable for those with wider feet. It is also lighter than steel which can be more appropriate for those wearing footwear for long periods of time or for those with slighter builds. If staff have to work 8 to 12 hours in this footwear it needs to be comfortable so as not to distract from the task in hand.
The other aspect to consider when selecting footwear is who is it for, i.e. do you employ them directly? Are they a contractor? Are they a volunteer? Depending on where you are in the world you will have your own set of regulations to comply with, but it is essential to make sure you understand those that are relevant and make sure you stay up to date with any changes. For example, recent changes in the UK mean that both direct employees and those employed on zero hours contracts and agency workers must all be provided with safety footwear if identified in a risk assessment regardless of whether they are identified as limb a or b workers13. In the UK the PPE regulations also require volunteers to be afforded relevant PPE for the tasks which they are undertaking.
“we are seeing a greater number of referrals due to associated MSDs”
How to have the conversation
For many safety professionals, the challenging part of selecting the right safety footwear is not the technical selection but the conversation that is required with budget holders and procurement teams. The challenge is that when you are selecting footwear there will be different business drivers for different parts of the business. So, when you are building your business case it can be beneficial to include the following key aspects.
Quality and comfort over brand names
When you are selecting footwear, it is important to include representatives from the workforce who will be using it on a day-to-day basis. This engagement step will help greatly in getting buy-in, particularly if you are making changes to minimum standards or brands being purchased. One challenge you might face is people’s allegiances to certain brand names, in the belief that they are better because they are a known brand. It can be helpful to discuss directly with manufacturers or with your PPE supplier as they can often provide trials of footwear so that you can experience them in your own working environment and prove to your workforce that you are looking for comfortable products which stop them from work related pain and discomfort whilst protecting them, rather than the misconception of a driver of cost cutting. To use the latest ISO standard as an example for work in a dry environment an S1P SR may be more suitable that an S3/S3L/S3S SR as the waterproof requirement is not needed.
Guidance on the recent changes has been provided by V12 in a whitepaper which is available from their website.
Getting the correct fit
When working with management teams once footwear has been selected, it is important to ensure that the correct sizes are chosen as some brands will be larger than others. Working with your teams as a safety professional, you can ensure that boots aren’t selected based on the size people assume they are but the size they are in a particular brand. It is important to include this in any communications you make within your business.
Whole life cost
When you are specifying footwear as a safety professional, it can be helpful to focus on the whole life cost of the footwear, this is sometimes referred to as total expenditure or TOTEX. It can be a false economy to purchase cheap safety footwear as its short lifespan can mean replacing it twice or three times during the lifespan of something which is slightly more expensive in initial outlay. As mentioned earlier, the costs required to ensure that you have correctly fitting footwear should also be balanced with the reduction of wear and therefore the extended lifespan of footwear.
It can also be helpful to include the mitigation of indirect costs in your business case as these are not always readily obvious to non-safety professionals. These can include a reduction in lost time due to conditions such as MSDs, increased compliance with the use of the PPE provided and a reduced likelihood of costs associated with occupational health referrals and at the far end of the scale, with potential civil claims for workplace injuries, caused or exacerbated by the footwear provided.
“your PPE supplier can often provide trials of footwear”
Maintaining your footwear
So, you have taken time to select safety footwear which meets the technical requirements of the task and the place of work as well as those who are wearing it. You have engaged with your workforce in the final choice of shoes and boots, and you’ve made your business case the finance and procurement teams or budget holders and have had it approved. So that’s it right? Well, not quite. There are a few more steps that you can take as a safety professional to make sure you get the most out of your safety footwear and protect the business against compliance issues.
Firstly, many manufacturers supply warranties with their products and these should be registered upon purchase to ensure that you are covered should a defect be identified. If footwear is defective, it will not provide the correct protection and must be returned to the manufacturer so that the manufacture can investigate why the footwear does not meet the agreed standard and issue credit notes if valid.
The next element is about ensuring that you have the right policies and procedures in place to support your management teams and occupational health. This can include suitably delegated authority to occupational health to suggest replacements where footwear is causing MSDs this can reduce indirect costs that will have a significant effect on the bottom line if not managed.
Additionally, a new for old policy to ensure that you are not replacing products when they are still serviceable but also so that you can inspect the returned items and identify any potential issues.
Finally, as a safety professional, you will want to ensure that in the event of an incident the safety footwear is inspected to identify if it contributed to the incident and also to ensure that it was correctly worn fastened as designed and maintained. After all, you’ve put all that effort into selecting and procuring it – don’t allow poor maintenance and behaviour to let you down.
In conclusion
In conclusion there are many technical standards that you will want to take into consideration when selecting safety footwear but your role as the safety professional goes beyond this to engaging with the workforce and having the sometimes challenging conversations with managers, budget holders, finance and procurement teams to make sure that the footwear provided, whether it be safety or occupational, will protect the workers, reduce the likelihood of occupational injuries, lots time and civil claims and also provide an acceptable whole life or TOTEX cost to the business. It is a big challenge but one when armed with the right information, can be successfully achieved.
Saftey Footwear Checklist
Think about the task that is being undertaken
Where is the work happening, are there any particular considerations such as cold or slippery surfaces?
Who is the footwear for? Do they have any particular requirements?
Have you engaged with the workforce? User trials can help overcome brand bias
Remember the whole life cost not just the upfront unit cost of the shoe or boot
Don’t forget the indirect costs of poorly maintained, selected or fitting footwear
Article written by Keith Hole and Lucy Pritchard for HSI Magazine – https://www.hsimagazine.com/article/putting-your-best-foot-forward/
Construction projects could soon be using the world’s first zero emissions cement, thanks to Cement 2 Zero (C2Z), a UK-based demonstrator project bringing together Cambridge University scientists with key industry figures.
The project, which secured £6.5m of government funding from UKRI as part of the Transforming Foundation Industries Challenge, has officially launched and aims to demonstrate that concrete can be recycled to create a Slag Forming addition which could, when cooled rapidly, replace Portland cement.
Portland clinker, one of the main ingredients in cement, is produced by firing limestone and other minerals in a kiln at extremely high temperatures (1,450 degrees Celsius), a process which accounts for more than 50% of the cement sector’s emissions.
By contrast, Cement 2 Zero will use recycled cement as the flux in the electric steel recycling process – powered by an electric arc furnace which uses renewable energy – the by-product of which, when cooled and ground, produces Portland cement clinker, which is then blended to make ‘zero-emissions’ cement.
This innovative product known as Cambridge Electric Cement (CEC) could be made in a virtuous recycling loop, that not only eliminates the significant emissions of cement and steel production, but also saves raw materials.
The two-year industrial trial for producing the cement on an industrial scale will test each stage of the production process, bringing together the expertise of the Materials Processing Institute and the University of Cambridge researchers Dr Cyrille Dunant, Professor Julian Allwood and Dr Philippa Horton, who invented the process.
Key supply chain partners on the project involved in the testing stage before the product is introduced in a live UK construction project also include Atkins, Balfour Beatty, CELSA, Day Aggregates and Tarmac.
Chris McDonald, chief executive officer of the Materials Processing Institute, said: “Cement 2 Zero has the potential to make a significant contribution to achieving a zero-carbon society, secure and increase jobs in the UK cement and steel sectors and challenge conventional production processes, creating high-value materials from demolition waste.”
Dr Dunant, who made the crucial discovery that the chemical composition of used cement is virtually identical to that of the lime-flux used in the conventional electric arc furnace steel recycling process, added: “We take the built environment around us for granted, new homes, schools, hospitals, workplaces, roads and railways, as well as infrastructure that provides us with clean water, sanitation and energy – all require cement which is an essential building material.
“It’s estimated that annual production equates to more than 500kg of concrete per person on the planet per year, and it is not currently possible to produce the material without creating CO2 emissions.
“This breakthrough offers a positive move in cement production and will support the industry response to the UK’s legally binding commitment to bring all greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050.”
The first phase of trial melts is being carried out by the Materials Processing Institute, initially in a 250kg induction furnace, before being scaled up to 6T.
Once the process has been substantially trialled, developed and de-risked effectively, industrial scale melts will follow in CELSA’s electric arc furnace in Cardiff.
Dr Philippa Horton, University of Cambridge, who created the project consortium, said: “If Cambridge Electric Cement lives up to the promise it has shown in early laboratory trials, when combined with other innovative technologies, it could be a pivotal point in the journey to a zero-emissions society.
“The Cement 2 Zero project is an invaluable opportunity to collaborate across the entire construction supply chain, to expand CEC from the laboratory to its first commercial application.”
Concrete is the most widely used material on earth after water, and it is fundamental to our way of life, our economy and shaping our world.
However, the chemical and thermal combustion processes involved in the production of cement are a significant source of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions – with more than four billion tonnes of cement produced each year, accounting for around seven per cent of global CO2 emissions, according to the Global Cement and Concrete Association (GCCA).
Professor Julian Allwood, University of Cambridge and Cambridge Electric Cement, explained: “By combining steel and cement recycling in a single process powered by renewable electricity, we could supplement the global supply of the basic construction materials to support the infrastructure of a zero emissions world and to enable economic development where it is most needed.”
Article by Sarah Walker – www.infrastructure-intelligence.com
ICE Past President David Balmforth was among the flooding experts encouraging the UK government to take action on sustainable drainage.
A new approach to sustainable drainage has been announced by the UK government, following pressure from industry to act now.
The legislation relating to sustainable drainage systems (SuDs) will, according to the government, “reduce the risk of surface water flooding, pollution and help alleviate the pressures on our traditional drainage and sewerage systems”.
Sustainable drainage systems (SuDS) have long been recognised by civil engineers as an important way to manage surface water, to lower the risk of flooding.
Schedule 3 of the act, which the experts urged the government to implement, established a process to ensure that any new development includes high quality SuDS, and removed developers’ automatic right to connect to public sewers.
“As experts and delivery organisations in construction, planning, water management and environmental management, we strongly urge you to implement Schedule 3 after many years working with alternative approaches.
“Implementation is essential to addressing growing surface water flood risk, tackling the sewage pollution problem and is complementary to Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) and nutrient neutrality.
“SuDS are internationally recognised as the most effective way of managing both surface water flood risk and storm-related pollution,” the letter to Sunak stated.
We need to ‘harness the full power of blue-green infrastructure’
The Flood and Water Management Act was passed in 2010 following serious flooding in the summer of 2007.
The floods affected 55,000 properties, led to 13 deaths, and left half a million people without mains power and water.
The SuDS requirement for new developments is also something that the ICE’s flooding community advisory board (CAB) has been calling for.
ICE flooding CAB chair Fiona Barbour said: “Implementing Schedule 3 is critical if we are to increase our resilience to flooding.
“Sustainable drainage systems (SuDS) are not as complicated or as expensive as many developers fear and legislation is not at odds with housing requirements.
“Many developers welcome the clarity it would bring. Civil engineers have an important role to play in designing the most efficient systems to reduce the risk of flooding and sewage spills.”
‘Do not waste any more time’
According to the letter to the prime minister, the SuDS part of the act was “relaxed” in 2014 and high quality SuDS have not been made mandatory so far due to “misconceptions on cost and applicability”.
“The [SuDS] approach could have been normalised as standard good practice many years ago.
“Please do not waste any more time; implement Schedule 3 of the Flood and Water Management Act 2010 further to the current government review,” the letter ends.
As well as Balmforth, the letter has been signed by a large cohort of experts including Terry Fuller, chief executive of the Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management, Christine McGourty, CEO of Water UK, and Professor Jim Hall, professor of climate and environmental risks at Oxford University.
Article written by Anh Nguyen, content strategy manager at ICE
