Slope Protection | Old Whittington STW, Chesterfield, UK
230m² of CC5® protected a slope, delivering long-term erosion control with 40% carbon savings
Project Overview
In August 2020, Concrete Canvas Ltd was approached regarding a scheme where a section of slope at the Old Whittington Sewage Treatment Works in Chesterfield required a hard armoured protective layer to prevent cake – a byproduct from the recycling process at a sewage treatment works – from coming into contact with the soil on the slope.
Solution
The storage area at Old Whittington STW is connected to the treatment plant via a number of screw conveyors which terminate in a storage shed at the top of the site. Under the screw conveyors the slope was unlined and there was a risk of cake spillage onto the slope surface during maintenance activities. Yorkshire Water wanted to ensure the area underneath the conveyors was a controlled area in line with permit conditions.
One of the original designs for the slope involved mass pouring of concrete over the area; however, the time required for creating formwork, installing the poured concrete, curing time, potential mess and embodied carbon impact involved meant that ultimately Concrete Canvas® GCCM (CC) was chosen as an alternative.
Design & Installation
- CC5® Batched Rolls specified
- Slope regraded using type 2 hardcore.
- Vertical layup
- Overlaps jointed using stainless steel screws and sealant
- Secured using stainless steel fixings and clamping bar at the crest and against concrete steps
- Secured in anchor trenches on side and at toe
- Hydrated using a water bowser and hose and covered in plastic sheeting during curing in accordance with cold weather hydration guidance
Summary
The installation of 230m² of CC5® was completed by a team of two over a total of four days in cold weather conditions, using only hand tools due to access restrictions on the site.
When the project was completed, Concrete Canvas Ltd conducted a Carbon Saving Report (which can be viewed here) . The report showed that CC5® is hugely preferable to the poured concrete alternative, providing a GWP saving of over 40%. CC5® has just over 15.81kg of embodied carbon per square meter of slope, compared to 28.02kg of embodied carbon per square meter of slope for the ST4 concrete.