New technologies and materials are being developed to address the challenges (Photo: AdobeStock)

Concrete plays a central role in modern infrastructure but contributes significantly to global carbon emissions, with cement production accounting for around 8% of these emissions. As the construction industry works to reduce its environmental impact, new technologies and materials are being developed to address these challenges. Efforts to lower the carbon footprint of construction materials have led to advancements in cement production. Material Evolution, a company based in the UK, is leading a project called Mevocrete, funded by Innovate UK鈥檚 Transforming Foundation Industries Challenge.

Innovate UK, an innovation agency, is investing 拢3.2 million (鈧�3.8 million) in seven innovation projects to help propel the decarbonisation of the UK鈥檚 concrete industry.

Material Evolution鈥檚 initiative aims to develop and scale ultra-low carbon cement technologies. With its first manufacturing site in Wrexham, Wales, set to begin production, the company is showing how alternative production methods can lower emissions in the construction sector.

In collaboration with academic and industrial partners, the company has developed an ultra-low carbon geopolymer cement designed for production at scale.

Big problem, few solutions

Elizabeth Gilligan, CEO of Material Evolution, says, 鈥淐ement production is responsible for approximately 8% of global CO2 emissions. It鈥檚 a huge problem, with very few commercially available solutions.鈥�

Gilligan explains that the company鈥檚 cement is among the few commercially available solutions for reducing embodied carbon emissions by up to 85%. 鈥淐urrently, our cement offers up to 85% less embodied CO2. While our new commercial facility in Wrexham is a relatively small project in the context of UK construction, it serves as a demonstration of what鈥檚 possible. The real impact will come from the partnerships we build to scale the technology.鈥�

Liz Gilligan with the Material Evolution team (Photo: Material Evolution)

Beyond the 85% reduction, Gilligan says that it鈥檚 about the pathway to net-zero or near-zero concrete. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 why we鈥檙e exploring industrial waste feedstocks for our cement, which helps push circular economy goals forward,鈥� she adds.

Emphasising the need for partnerships, Gilligan says that the company has always operated on a partnership model 鈥� bringing the right people into the room and building long-term relationships is crucial.

鈥淔or example,鈥� says Gilligan, 鈥渋n Wrexham, we have overcome early scaling challenges by co-locating our facility with our partner CCP, a subsidiary of construction materials giant SigmaRoc.

鈥淲e don鈥檛 believe there鈥檚 just one material that will 鈥榮ave the world,鈥� but rather a collaborative process that solves industry problems. Working together takes longer, but it is how we build lasting partnerships that will ultimately help us transition heavy industry at scale.鈥�

Government policy and its impact on the concrete industry

Sharing similar sentiments to Material Evolution鈥檚 Gilligan is John Reddy, director of concrete technology deployment at Ecocem. The Ireland-based company specialises in the production of low-carbon cement and ground granulated blast-furnace slag (GGBS), a sustainable alternative to traditional cement, aimed at reducing the environmental impact of construction materials.

Driving the sustainability of concrete production globally requires partnerships and teamwork throughout the entire concrete production lifecycle.

For Ecocem, working with the government is an essential part of the journey. Reddy says that the company has been working to lead government policy and drive change at both the national and European levels.

Reddy adds, 鈥淚n the past, we have often operated independently, but over my 20-year career, it has become clear that there are more interested parties and stakeholder groups involved.

Ecocem鈥檚 Reddy recognises that collaborating with governments is becoming increasingly important (Photo: Ecocem)

鈥淭his growing interest is encouraging; while we may have been the ones driving the initiative, it now feels like we have many passengers on this journey. Collaborating with governments is becoming increasingly important.鈥�

Reddy adds that the company also helped influence a change in green public procurement policies. The government has since mandated that 30% of public procurement must be green, which is a major step forward says Reddy.

The impact of cement and concrete plants

While efforts are being made to reduce the CO鈧� emissions from materials and to work alongside governmental bodies, companies are also considering the impact of their cement and concrete plants.

In Spain, Votorantim Cimentos are working to reduce the environmental impact of their plants across the country.

Juan Aguilera, industrial director at Votorantim Cimentos in Spain, says that their plants have reached 50% substitution of alternative fuels. Aguilera says, 鈥淎s a result of the substitution of fossil fuels for alternative fuels, more than 190,000 tons of CO2 have been saved, which is equivalent to the annual emissions of more than 53,000 gasoline cars or the planting of two million trees.鈥�

In the Alconera (Badajoz) and M谩laga plants, Aguilera says that Votorantim Cimentos has made investments to reduce the emission factor of both facilities and contribute to meeting the company鈥檚 CO2 reduction commitments.

He adds, 鈥淭he Alconera plant began its thermal substitution efforts in June 2022, and in just six months achieved a major milestone, reaching a thermal substitution rate of 40%.鈥�

Votorantim Cimentos plant in Alconera, Spain (Photo: Votorantim Cimentos)

Over in Italy, Heidelberg Materials has started a feasibility study for a decarbonisation project at its Rezzato Mazzano cement plant in the province of Brescia, which the company says could become the first plant in Italy to produce carbon-captured net-zero cement and concrete.

As part of the initiative, Heidelberg Materials will evaluate the feasibility of capturing CO鈧� from cement production and transporting it via pipeline to the Ravenna CCS storage hub under the Adriatic Sea.

Phase 1 of the Ravenna CCS project, carried out by a joint venture between Italian integrated energy company Eni and energy infrastructure operator Snam, opens up possible scenarios for Heidelberg Materials鈥� CCS project at the Rezzato-Mazzano plant.

Challenges in concrete production

Recognising the environmental impact of concrete production is one thing; addressing the challenges of making it more sustainable is another. This is a reality that Ecocem鈥檚 Reddy has understood well throughout his career.

Rising global population and development are driving a significant increase in cement demand, further challenging the industry to address environmental impacts. Reddy emphasises that this increasing demand will place additional pressure on the cement industry to scale production while addressing environmental concerns.

Reddy notes, 鈥淲e are now up to 4.1 billion tons of cement produced in 2023. When I started my career back in 2004, that figure was around 2.3 billion tons. It has almost doubled in 20 years.鈥�

Reddy says that Portland Cement has been refined over the last 200 years, improving processes that work very effectively. 鈥淗owever,鈥� he says, 鈥渢here is a significant barrier when it comes to reducing carbon emissions. Companies now need to explore ways to lower their carbon footprint, which presents a major challenge.鈥�

As with the rest of the industry, it is crucial to have trained and educated individuals who possess the knowledge and awareness to tackle these challenges, something that Reddy is passionate about as vice president of the Institute of Concrete Technology.

The Institute of Concrete Technology aims to promote concrete technology as a recognised engineering discipline and to advance the professional status of practising concrete technologists worldwide.

Cement production accounts for around 8% of these emissions (Photo: AdobeStock)

As with the rest of the construction industry, upskilling the current workforce is necessary for the implementation of new technologies.

Speaking of the membership to the Institute of Concrete Technology, Reddy says that its membership is growing slightly but remains steady as people retire and new individuals join. However, for meaningful change to occur, says Reddy, it鈥檚 important to attract the right people within companies who can initiate and implement these changes effectively.

The efforts by companies like Material Evolution, Ecocem, Votorantim Cimentos, and Heidelberg Materials highlight the critical role of innovation, partnerships, and policy in decarbonising the concrete industry. While progress is being made through alternative materials, carbon capture technologies, and waste reduction strategies, the path forward requires collaboration across governments, industries, and stakeholders.