The sweet smell of succes

A unique alliance between Britain's biggest coal producer and one of its customers is benefiting the environment with a sustainable landscaping opportunity.


During 1999, UK COAL, formerly RJB Mining, and British Sugar agreed to a three

year contract for coal supplies and an arrangement to purchase thousands of

tonnes of LimeX to assist in the landscaping and restoration of former colliery

sites.

Stabilised growth

Over 100,000 tonnes of LimeX have been applied to extensive areas of UK COAL

colliery land at Askern and Rossington near Doncaster. The LimeX is applied

to the poor quality soils and is incorporated into the existing material to

provide a stabilised growing medium. It contains useful levels of phosphate,

magnesium and sulphate as well as other nutrients.

LimeX is either applied alone or in combination with other soil-forming materials

such as biosolids and paper pulps. This treatment aids future land use, such

as planting with grassland mixtures and trees for grazing and forage production.

UK COAL Civil Engineer, Martin Brumby comments, “LimeX is rich in the

nutrients we need to restore land to a high standard. It is easy to apply, it’s

fast-acting and long-lasting, and will provide a near perfect base for grass,

clover, trees and shrubs.”

Partnership

During 2001, LimeX has also been used to restore land at Thoresby Colliery near

Mansfield. British Sugar’s National LimeX Manager, Richard Cogman, says, “This

unique partnership has again demonstrated the potential for LimeX beyond purely

liming. We have a proven product that is well suited to land restoration, and

this fits with our strategy to expand LimeX into this market sector.”

UK COAL intend to continue working with British Sugar to restore colliery sites

within an environmentally focused, cost-effective management strategy.

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