James Thorpe and Niki Welch from Eminox were part of an HS2 project team and co-authors of a technical paper, Reducing Emissions in Construction: Non-Road Mobile Machinery. Written in conjunction with HS2 Ltd, Balfour Beatty, Vinci and Imperial College London, the paper was recently recognised at the HS2 Learning Legacy Awards.

The research paper reported the collaboration of the partners activities which successfully reduced nitrogen oxides (NOx), particulate matter (PM), and embodied carbon across its operations. The exhaust aftertreatment retrofit solutions were fitted and trialled on a piling rig and rotary rig.

The systems were tested to quantify the emission saving potential of the exhaust aftertreatment systems which delivered more than 90% reduction in harmful emissions. Furthermore, the paper estimates a saving potential of £60m in plant capex to date and over £300m for the entirety of the HS2 project.

Carlos Vicente, retrofit and aftermarket sales director at Eminox said: “This is a superb achievement for us all and reflects the complexity of the work we do to reduce emissions of Non-Road Mobile Machinery (NRMM) to improve air quality and protect public health. It has been a pioneering project to work on; one which has created a blueprint for the construction sector to showcase how equipment can be upgraded to achieve Stage V equivalent emissions standards, reducing carbon footprint and maximising the lifespan of equipment. HS2 should be acknowledged for setting the standard and leading the way to show that major infrastructure projects can be completed whilst adhering to the latest emissions standards in a cost-effective way.”

“We are proud to have set industry leading emissions standards for all machinery, and for our EMx S5 system to be the first solution successfully approved by the Energy Saving Trust. Now that this is included in their NRMM Retrofit Accreditation Scheme, more businesses can take advantage of the system to achieve Stage V equivalent emissions standards.”

Find out more at the Eminox website.