Bachy Soletanche are very proud to announce they have taken home two prizes at the VINCI Environment Awards: The Grand Prize for an equipment emissions reduction programme and a Special Jury Prize for the development of a steel cage tamp.
The VINCI Environment awards, in their inaugural year, encourage the development of sustainable practices both within the Group and across the industry, as VINCI strive to become world leaders in environmental innovation.
Grand Prize
The Grand Prize was awarded to a joint entry between Bachy Soletanche and Cybrand for the development, implementation and independent approval of an exhaust after treatment system for larger diesel engines fitted into our construction machinery (above 300kW). This innovative solution features a retrofitted diesel particulate filter and selective catalytic reduction system, which significantly reduces the engine emissions. Diesel engines of this kind produce pollutants that damage our health, environment and ultimately, our climate. Replacing older machines with new equipment requires huge time and investment so the team wanted to find a way of extending the life in the UK of some of our older equipment by reducing the pollutants from their diesel engines.
Working with the supply chain, the team identified that retrofitting the diesel particulate filter and the selected catalytic reduction system would reduce pollutants and allow the machines to achieve a higher level of emissions compliance taking the original engine from meeting Stage IIIA requirements to achieving most up to date Stage V.
The environmental solution garnered impressive results,
reducing carbon monoxide by 90%, particulate matter by 99%
and nitrogen oxide by 97%.
A further benefit is that at the end of its life in the UK, this machine can now be responsibly recirculated elsewhere in the world, polluting significantly less than it would otherwise have done. Bachy Soletanche believe that whilst this technology is not new, this was the first application in an engine above 300kW.
Bachy Soletanche is currently upgrading a number of older engines within their fleet with this solution. The judges were impressed by their practical and effective solution, significantly reducing harmful emissions from the older diesel engines that are still in use around the UK.
Special Jury Prize
The second prize that Bachy Soletanche took home was a Special Jury Prize for a steel cage tamp. The cage tamp is used to install continuous flight augers (CFA) cages, instead of using the traditional vibrating hammer and diesel power pack arrangement. This alternative environmental solution eliminates the exhausts emissions emitted as there is no longer a requirement for a diesel hydraulic power pack and in turn, this eliminates the pollution by removing the harmful carbon, diesel particulate matter and nitrogen oxides. Over several projects it was calculated that the cage tamp prevented 472 tonnes of carbon being pumped into the atmosphere, along with a reduction in noise and air pollution. The judges were impressed by the simplicity of the idea that produced such beneficial outcomes and thought it deserved a special award, especially due to the reusability of the cage tamp – further improving its environmental impact.
Steve Ako, Plant Engineering Manager at Bachy Soletanche said:
“Sometimes the simplest solutions can be the most effective and have the greatest impact – the cage tamp is a perfect example of this. We would like to see this become the first choice when putting cages into the ground, rather than always using the hydraulic power pack and vibrator.”
Each winner of the VINCI Environment Awards had the opportunity to nominate a charity to donate towards. The two charities chosen by the Bachy Soletanche teams were Greenpeace and the Ribble Trust.
Xavier Huillard, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of VINCI commented:
“It is patently obvious that we have to talk about the health of the planet. The planet’s health, the energy transition and the digital revolution are all changing the way people live, work and travel.”
