Aggregate member awarded by Worshipful Engineers

Helen Bailey, research manager at Aggregate Industries, has won the prestigious Fiona and Nicholas Hawley Excellence in Environmental Engineering Award by The Worshipful Company of Engineers.

Helen's paper, 'The use of waste vegetable oil as a bitumen replacement in asphalt mixtures', was praised for its use of lateral thinking to reduce the need for bitumen whilst beneficially exploiting a waste material, without loss of performance in the asphalt.

A prototype of the process is currently being trialed by Aggregate Industries in Newark, the quarrying and heavy building materials and construction company.

Helen commented: "The asphalt industry uses about 1.25 million tonnes of bitumen a year, at a significant cost to the UK trade balance".

"I wanted to find an alternative using a current waste product which achieved the same key properties as bitumen in the asphalt mix, reducing reliance on expensive imported hydrocarbons".

"The solution I developed complies with UK Standards whilst reducing the carbon footprint of resultant asphalt products".

"My work forms part of Aggregate Industries' ongoing commitment to sustainable construction".

Helen (25) was presented with her award and a cheque for GBP5,000 at the Worshipful Company of Engineers' Annual Awards Dinner at Skinners' Hall, London, by the Master of the Worshipful Company of Engineers, Mr Chris Price OBE FREng, and guest speaker, Mr Peter Jones OBE.

Helen plans to use the prize money to fund an educational trip to Japan to present her paper at the International Conference on Asphalt in August 2010.

She is currently studying for a PhD in civil engineering materials at The University of East London, supported by Aggregate Industries.

Patents are in the process of application.

The Worshipful Company of Engineers is one of the City of London's modern Livery Companies and has over 300 members.

The Company promotes the development and advancement of the science, art and practice of engineering.

The Fiona and Nicholas Hawley Award aims to inspire engineers under 30 to present a project that has at least reached prototype stage in meeting the three environmental engineering tests of social, economic and environmental sustainability.

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