Northern Ireland quarrying group visits Longcliffe's state-of-the-art washing plant.

The Northern Ireland branch of the Institute of Quarrying has enjoyed an in-depth visit to Longcliffe Calcium Carbonate’s Brassington Moor Quarry in Derbyshire.  Central to their tour was the quarry’s £3.5 million state-of-the-art washing plant.

The new facility, which was installed and commissioned by CDE in 2020 is contributing to Longcliffe’s ongoing efficiency and carbon reduction goals. 

 
For nearly 100 years, Longcliffe’s Derbyshire quarries have been a market-leading supplier of high purity calcium carbonates. The company produces over 100 products for a huge range of critical industries, from animal feeds and pet foods to glass and plasterboards, from plastics and adhesives to pH correction and flue gas desulphurisation.

At a rate of up to 220 tonnes per hour, the washing plant enables the transformation of material with a higher clay content into valuable single-sized aggregates and sand grades. This investment has allowed Longcliffe to recover key products from material that traditionally had to be discarded, maximising the company’s available reserves, and saving 12% of the quarry's load & haul fuel usage. 
 

Longcliffe Operations Director Chris Wainwright hosted the visit. He said: “It was a pleasure to host this visit from a group of Northern Ireland-based quarrying enthusiasts.  We are proud to demonstrate our new washing plant which is delivering real benefits to our process, our customers and the environment.  Working with long-term supplier partner CDE, this project was a real demonstration of commitment and teamwork, being constructed and delivered despite the challenges of the pandemic.”

Pat O’Connor, Chairman of the Northern Ireland branch of the Institute of Quarrying said: “The Institute of Quarrying NI visited Longcliffe Quarries, Matlock, to view a recently installed CDE wash plant. Our thanks go to Chris Wainwright, Longcliffe Operations Director, and CDE for hosting this visit and answering questions on what was a very impressive set up.”

David Kinloch, Director of Business Development UK & Ireland for CDE, added: “Longcliffe is leading the way with its approach to the long-term sustainability of its business and the environment, creating a range of sand and aggregates from what was a waste stream. We appreciate the time given by Longcliffe to allow guests this valuable opportunity to see first-hand the technology being used and the quality of the material coming off the belt. We are proud to have partnered with Longcliffe to deliver this project.”