Esker Readymix collaborated with Ecocem in using GGBS to deliver stronger concrete for specifically testing (and unpleasant) conditions. Based in Athenry, Co. Galway, Esker Readymix has been in operation since 1950 and today, in addition to ready-mix concrete — the company produces a range of building blocks, stone, and precast products.
Rory McInerney of the company says that they’ve been using GGBS since 2007. “We took a chance on it at the time but couldn’t believe the results we were getting, from the point of view of durability and 28-day strength gain. It was exceptional.”
Since then, Esker has been using it across a range of applications, a significant number of which are in agricultural settings. The inherent resistance of GGBS to deterioration from the acids present in silage make it ideal for silage pits.
These are structures that you absolutely don’t want to fail, precisely because the prospect of failure is too unpleasant to contemplate — never mind the environmental consequences.
A 2008 study from Trinity College compared the durability of different concretes exposed to silage effluent of pH 4.0. GGBS concrete outperformed high carbon concrete in terms of both strength loss and
mass loss.
Today, Esker uses at least 30% GGBS in approximately 75% of its standard mixes. “It’s a bit slower going off”, says Rory, “but at the end of the day, you’re going to have a better slab with it.” In a recent job, Esker was asked to install concrete bases for very large back-up generators in Shannonbridge, Co. Offaly. They called Ecocem for advice, who swiftly sent the technical team to spend a day in Athenry running trials and testing admixtures ahead of the pour.
“They were great. In our trials we got 28 day strength of between 75N and 90N you could say. You’d be back around the 70N if you were just using all cement.”
It’s a compelling case: even in applications that place particularly high demands on concrete production, Ecocem’s technical assistance is enabling progressive manufacturers like Esker to deliver stronger, more resilient solutions at a fraction of the carbon cost.
Within Transport Infrastructure Ireland, TII-Structures is responsible for the management of approximately 3,500 national road structures. Of these, about 800 are masonry arches, 1,000 are reinforced concrete boxes or culverts while the rest are primarily concrete bridges.
As the largest builder of residential homes in Ireland, Cairn Homes is also leading the way in reducing carbon emissions. In 2024, the company announced that it was adopting the passive house standard for all new flagship developments as a way of reducing the energy demand of the homes it builds.
