PRODUCTS & SERVICES
“That was breakfast two weeks ago!”
New natural insulation company
The multi-award winning
Black Mountain is the first UK
Canolfan Conway Centre is
company to invest in a dedicated
coming to the end of a three year
factory to manufacture natural wool
on-site food waste recycling trial
insulation for projects across the UK
that has proved to be highly
and Ireland from its factory in North
successful. The 420-bed
Wales.
residential education centre, one
Unlike man-made materials,
of the largest in the UK, installed
when wool absorbs moisture it
an A700 Rocket® In-Vessel
actually gives off energy which warms
Composter from Cheshire based
the wool and prevents condensation. This is a significant benefit
manufacturers Accelerated Compost Ltd to process the food
over traditional man-made insulators, none of which have this
waste from around 1,000 meals a day and in October 2007 the
capability. Black Mountain Wool insulation is also a major step
Centre was awarded the Environmental Management System
forward in fighting condensation-related illness.
Award for the Public Sector in the Welsh Sustainability Awards.
Wool insulation is also a truly sustainable solution to both
All food waste is put into sealed containers by the kitchen
energy consumption and the effects of climate change, using
team and three times each day this waste is put into the Rocket®
only 15 per cent of the energy of a comparable man-made
by the Maintenance & Groundworks team. In 2006 4,235 litres
material. As a natural by-product of sheep farming, the only
of food waste was processed through the Rocket®.
limit to the supply of wool is the number of sheep farmed -
Paul Southall, Buildings and Environmental Supervisor, “The
justifying its stature as one of the earth’s most sustainable
Rocket® composter is fabulous. Prior to the sewage
resources.
rationalisation process carried out on the entire site and the
Additionally, wool is biodegradable in soil and easily
Rocket® being installed the BOD readings for material being
recyclable, which BMI can use to its advantage, by recycling all
released into the Menai Straits was around 7,000. Since then it
cut-offs to create a zero waste production process.
has dropped to 260 and we have saved an astonishing £1,400
Expected to last for many years, wool does not lose its
a year on emptying the grease traps and £660 a year on
resilience or compact over time, which means it is never likely to
emptying the settlement tanks. A further £2,200 is saved every
need replacing. In addition, wool carries with it many safety
year due to the addition of a food waste dewaterer, used prior to
benefits, including being low-allergy and non-combustible.
the composting process. Along with the reduction in waste
Sourced from the hill farms of mountains in Wales, Ireland,
disposal costs and purchasing costs for compost materials the
Scotland and England, Black Mountain is backed by the Welsh
Rocket® has paid for itself in the three years since the
Government and has received European funding to help support
installation. It’s great to see the visitors faces when they see the
local manufacturing and hill farming.
compost and are told, ‘that was someone’s breakfast two weeks
www.blackmountaininsulation.com
ago!’ It really brings the process home to them.”
www.quickcompost.co.uk 01260 222 942
A breath of fresh air from British Gypsum
Much more than just hot air!
British Gypsum’s ShaftWall system has been
used to create a network of horizontal fresh air
Environmental engineering and water experts MWH have ventilation ducts for the biggest and most
designed a Combined Heat and Power (CHP) plant, fuelled by distinctive new courts complex to be built in the
sewage gas, at Macclesfield’s wastewater treatment works on UK for more than 100 years. The unique
behalf of United Utilities as part of their £37 million programme natural ventilation system circulates air captured
to reduce carbon emissions. by wind scoops on the exterior of the new
The programme will save 38,000 tonnes of CO
2
being Manchester Civil Justice Centre.
deposited into the atmosphere each year – the equivalent of British Gypsum was asked to come up with
taking over 9,000 family cars off the road. a sustainable drywall specification for the
When the 11 plants are online, around the middle of the ductwork, which would sit within the ceiling
year, they will generate 8.8 megawatts of electricity - enough to plenum. Working with Rotherham-based drywall
provide the annual electricity needs of around 22,000 houses. specialist contractors, Horbury Building Systems
Nick Biden, MWH’s Principal Mechanical Engineer on the and Titan Ceilings, they developed a solution based on a
project, explains: “All wastewater treatment works produce horizontal adaptation of their market-leading ShaftWall system.
sewage gas, which is around 60% methane, as sludge is The ‘ducting’ was suspended from vertical threaded steel
digested. In the past this has simply been burned off. CHP rods which were secured into the structural concrete soffits at
installations mean the sewage gas is put to good use, fuelling 1,200mm centres. Gypframe metal ‘J’ Channels were fixed at
engines which generate electricity and heat. The electricity offsets the head and base of each rod to carry a vertical section of
the needs of the whole plant, with any excess sold to the 62mm ShaftWall, which sub-divided the ducts and allowed
National Grid, and the heat is used to improve the performance operation within each of the room ventilation systems. The
of the digestion process.” vertical structure in turn supported the horizontal ductwork base,
The project has been underway for around two years, with six also of 62mm ShaftWall, incorporating 19mm Gyproc
plants, including Macclesfield’s, now operating. Five others are CoreBoard and lined with two layers of 15mm Gyproc FireLine.
currently installed and being tested Other British Gypsum products for the project include the
before coming online, with MWH FireCase steel encasement system, used to provide up to 120
undertaking feasibility studies on minutes fire protection for the building’s 80-metre high steel
10 other potential sites. frame, and Rigitone 10/23 perforated acoustic ceiling boards,
www.mwhglobal.com used to reduce reverberation sound. www.british-gypsum.com
SUSTAINABLE FM | APRIL 2008
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