The limewash, thought to be the first of its kind, contains non-pathogenic bacteria which increase the amount of CO2 a building surface can absorb through photosynthesis. This then generates additional calcium carbonate that forms a more robust barrier against erosion and encourages self-repairing.
A pre-production prototype is now being developed by the team, based on research by the University’s Zero Carbon Lab and the manufacturing know-how of UK Hempcrete Ltd, funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) through the Design Exchange Partnership programme.
Both organisations are partnering with whiskey maker Whyte & Mackay, who will trial the prototype at their distillery on the Isle of Jura off the west coast of Scotland. Currently, wind-driven rain on the island damages the building surfaces of the distillery, resulting in the need for annual re-coating. This disrupts production and tourism and increases the company’s carbon emissions due to the transportation of materials to the island and the maintenance works.
The self-repairing surface is expected to lower the frequency of maintenance, reduce disruption to the distillery and to tourism, and lower carbon emissions caused by frequent maintenance, whilst also actively absorbing carbon. This supports Whyte & Mackay’s zero-carbon commitments.
In a statement, Professor Ljubomir Jankovic, Professor of Advanced Building Design and founder of the Hertfordshire University’s Zero Carbon Lab, said: “We are excited to see the potential impact that our research will have on the resilience and maintenance of the distillery. Following the planned field trials, there is scope for this method to be used on a much wider scale. As well as supporting Whyte & Mackay’s zero-carbon aims, we also intend to give local community, trade and homeowners the opportunity to use the product. This will help them to lower traditional maintenance costs, supporting environmental goals and the local tourism economy.”
“The Isle of Jura is a beautiful place to make Scotch Whisky, but it is not necessarily the easiest place be a whisky maker,” said Jamie Muir, Jura distillery manager for Whyte & Mackay. “When we created our sustainability plan The Green Print, we laid out our commitment to make a positive impact to the local community where we make our whisky. This partnership with our friends at UK Hempcrete and the Hertfordshire University will deliver a pilot, which we believe could make a significant impact across the Scotch Whisky industry and beyond.”
The team aims to have the prototype in place by July, 2023 for a three-to-six month testing period.
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If I may add my own personal Tip No. 6 it goes something like this: From time to time a more senior member of staff will start explaining something...