adi group partners with Roquette on sustainable demolition project

A sustainable demolition project, aimed to reuse and recycle as much equipment and material as possible, has been successful completed by adi engineering group.

Renowned Midlands-based engineering firm adi Group has recently worked on the demolition of one of Roquette’s facilities, which was no longer needed by the multi-national food ingredients business

Carrying out the ambitious plan required a collaboration between various divisions of the wider adi Group, including adi Mechanical, adi Machinery removal and adi Electrical, under the single point of contact, adi Projects;

adi’s efforts were not solely focused on the demolition of the facility itself, but on the intrinsic value of its components and the equipment contained within the facility, which the multidisciplinary engineering firm believed could be reused or recycled to generate profit for Roquette, while having a positive impact on the environment.

The teams working on the project identified a number of pieces of equipment that Roquette could reuse in other sites or resell, and devised a plan to safely extract them from the building before beginning to demolish the facility.

Ian Hart, business development director at adi Projects discussed the difficulties this process entailed.

He said, “Removing the equipment from the facility in a safe and controlled manner was one of the main challenges.

“Certain pieces had been placed on the higher floors of the facility or were located in areas that were particularly difficult to reach. Therefore, we had to move and rearrange a lot of other equipment. It was an intense, time-consuming process.

The team inspected and assessed the suitability of over 700 pieces of equipment to determine which of them could safely be reused, and were able to successfully recover over 300.

Part of this process involved cleaning the equipment to a high standard, preparing it for transport, and delivering it to designated locations where it could be stored. Meanwhile, the equipment that couldn’t be safely retrieved and those deemed unfit for reuse, were demolished along with the facility.

“Our priority throughout the demolition process was ensuring we could complete it in a way that would be as environmentally safe as possible. This involved a high standard of care and close surveillance at every stage.

“The demolition of the facility proceeded in a smooth, safe and secure manner, and we were delighted with the results. We helped Roquette recover a number of pieces of equipment successfully, as well as recycled useful materials such as copper and steel,” added Ian.

adi also ensured all the procedures employed would not accidentally release any dangerous pollutants into the water or the air surrounding the facility.

As dust – one of the most common issues in demolition - is a notoriously dangerous pollutant capable of contaminating natural spaces as well as providing potential health hazards for individuals, adi directed its efforts towards minimising the risks for the environment every step of the way.

In spite of the scale of the project, adi was able to bring it to completion with only two months of planning and just six months to carry out the required work, finishing the project with minimal net expenditure for the client.

The team at adi Group operate with sustainability in mind, placing emphasis on building eco-friendly practices, generating extra value and providing added benefits for the client.

adi Group offer a variety of practical engineering services and solutions, assisting clients from the early stages of a project through to completion.