Co. Antrim-based Moore Concrete recently hosted a visit for members of the Guild of Agricultural Journalists of Ireland.
The company is currently on a journey towards carbon net zero, with many landmarks having already been reached.
Moore Concrete employs over 160 people with the UK and Irish farming sector, accounting for over 45% of its annual turnover.
Carbon net zero
A range of key processes have been put in place by the company’s management team in order to reduce the impact that precast manufacturing processes have on the environment.
These include the use of green energy; currently, onshore wind accounts for 100% of the company’s electricity usage.
As much water as possible is recycled during the manufacturing process at Moore Concrete. All excess water from manufacturing and washouts is cleaned and recycled. Any additional water is sourced from a borehole, thereby minimising the use of mains water supply.
This results in the amount of energy required to supply the Moore Concrete factory with water demand being greatly reduced.
In addition, 80% of all Moore Concrete’s suppliers are based in Northern Ireland. This not only reduces transport emissions, but supports the local economy.
The company is also ISO 14001 accredited, demonstrating its commitment to continual improvement across all its operations, pollution prevention and energy reduction.
But, perhaps the most innovative aspect of Moore Concrete’s transition towards net zero has been the company’s commitment to develop low-carbon concrete mixes.
Low-carbon concrete
Reducing the carbon intensity of Portland cement in concrete mixes has been an ongoing process for over 20 years at the company.
Due to evolving technology, the company can currently produce precast concrete products with a mix including up to 66% ground granulated blast-furnace slag (GGBS). This lowers the carbon dioxide (CO2) content of precast products by over 50%.
“GGBS can improve the environmental performance of concrete and we are continuing to research how we can use more and more replacement material,” Moore’s technical manager, Adeline McCartney explained.
“Cement-free concrete with the strength and integrity of our current concrete mixes is the goal.
“We recently took a huge step forward in this area by producing a completely cement-free bunker wall in conjunction with Earth Friendly Concrete.
“By removing Portland cement from the concrete mix, we can lower the overall carbon footprint of our product by up to 80%.”
Traditionally, steel reinforcement bars have been used to strengthen precast concrete.
The major drawback with all ferrous materials is the very high carbon footprint associated with their manufacture and also how they impact the life span of concrete products.
But this scenario is fast changing. And at Moore Concrete, development work on the use of new, reinforcement materials are at an advanced stage.
“We are currently testing mix designs for our livestock drinking troughs, using alternative non-ferrous materials for reinforcement,” McCartney said.
“Again, this testing is aimed at helping to reduce the carbon footprint of the finished product, and therefore, our end customer.”
Farmer input
In addition, the specification of Moore’s new Ox Fence range includes a recycled plastic strip. This is embedded in the post, enabling wire to be easily stapled directly to the post, thereby providing a unique timberless fencing solution.
The strip is made from fully recycled materials and is guaranteed to last for as long as the entire post itself, which has a design life of up to 30 years.
“The new design gets around the need to include wooden batons as the attachment point for staples and fencing wire,” McCartney explained.
“This feature has been developed in response to the feedback that we have received from both farmers and fencing contractors when we surveyed how the specification of the posts could be improved.
“Our plan was to offer the market a precast fencing system that represents a strong, durable, maintenance-free, CE-marked solution. And by common consent, we have succeeded in achieving this aim courtesy of the Ox Fence range.”
Verification of Moore Concrete’s journey towards carbon net zero comes in the form of independent assessments and certification processes.
Chief among these is the company’s attainment of Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) for a cross-section of its product range.
“An EPD is a standardised document which details a product’s environmental performance. EPDs are produced on the basis of a life-cycle assessment and must be verified by an independent expert,” McCartney further explained.
“The purpose of these declarations is to provide transparent information that enables customers and clients to easily understand how our products perform in this context.
“This allows for informed decision making in regard to the environmental impact when planning a project.”
