Earlier this month, several of RAB’s Engineering Team (Thomas Lea, Alexandra Mackaness, William Hammond and Peter Batty) joined 14,000 other delegates at the Environmental Services and Solutions Expo at the NEC in Birmingham. RAB’s staff focussed on visiting stands and attending talks from the following sectors:
- WWEM (water, wastewater and environmental management)
- GEO (geotechnical engineering and operations)
- CLR (contamination and land remediation)
There were 700 exhibitor stands and speakers demonstrating their skills, capabilities, and experiences. A particularly interesting talk was given by Soilsteam; a company who have developed a machine to decontaminate soil by heating it with steam to reduce landfill waste. They reported an experiment where Japanese Knotweed (a very damaging and hardy invasive plant) rhizomes were eradicated from contaminated soil using their machine. This method seems to be an effective and sustainable way to reduce the spread of invasive non-native species without using chemicals. They have produced a mobile machine to enable on-site steaming so transport emission can be reduced.
Another notable talk was about the prevention of surface water runoff pollution from construction sites by utilising mobile water treatment units and the reuse of water on a site to reduce environmental impacts. The importance of on-site monitoring, site organisation and storage of materials were heavily stressed.
Companies were exhibiting different designs for underground stormwater storage units and demonstrated the benefits of arched units for ease of inspection and maintenance.
Will Hammond met Michaela Strachan who hosted a talk on conservation in extreme climates and how large-scale deployment of 3D-printing artificial reefs could be used as an effective coastal defence whilst boosting one of Earth’s most diverse habitats. A case study successfully used terracotta with funding for the project achieved by sponsorship whereby reefs are restored and named after businesses.
One of the geotechnical speakers covered issue with dryer, hotter summers causing increased ground desiccation and combining with warmer, wetter winters raising concern for ground stability. Cracks in clay that form during dry weather can go deep into the earth and when these fill with water they can raise the susceptibility of earth movement. This is causing issues with flood embankments and buildings (especially when cracks penetrate deeper than foundations), causing subsidence which can cause substantial structural damage and high-cost implications. These issues are creating difficulties with the potential for overdesigning new construction resulting in unsustainable mass concrete/steel use.
Further innovation was covered in the practice of original building foundation reuse. Utilising old foundations for a more sustainable approach can reduce construction costs, save space, and improve sustainability by cutting carbon emissions and material usage. However, testing is currently difficult and can be expensive with results from extrapolation potentially creating high levels of risk.
John Curtin led a talk on the use of nature-based solutions (NBS) to improve water quality and reduce flood risk. Difficulties NBS encounter include:
- Maintenance – who is responsible for maintaining green assets? Should they be inspected similarly to grey?
- Pace – people are afraid to wait for the benefits
- Psychology – It is much easier to understand the obvious benefits of a wall, but is harder to quantify, understand, and convince people about the benefits NFM can bring. Especially if the measures are upstream out of site
- Education – Community engagement is hugely important for project success to encourage locals to get on board with the project and understand the benefits of installing SuDS.
The whole event was great success and our team came away feeling very positive and energised!