Graphene enhanced concrete sleeper for lower embodied carbon
Lead Participant:
NATIONWIDE ENGINEERING RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT LTD
Abstract
Concretene is a graphene-enhanced admixture for concrete, engineered to enhance performance and sustainability. Developed by Nationwide Rail and The University of Manchester's Graphene Engineering Innovation Centre (GEIC), the formulation reduces embodied carbon, supporting the drive to net-zero and creating a game-changing potential for the concrete industry. Graphene provides an improved concrete durability and longer service life, increasing resilience while reducing maintenance, whole-life cost and risk.
After water, concrete is the most widely used material on earth, with 32Bn tonnes of concrete produced annually and 2.9Bn tonnes of associated CO2. Consequently, the global cement industry already accounts for more than 7% of worldwide CO2 emissions.
Hence, embodied carbon in concrete remains one of the world's biggest environmental challenges, with no established, sustainable solution.
Concretene has been developed to enhance the properties of concrete. This performance improvement directly reduces the cement required and the embodied carbon of the product. The technology incorporates graphene to improve the microstructure of concrete, increasing compressive, tensile and flexural strength, reducing curing periods, microcracking and permeability. The technology has been developed for use in batching production facilities, is non-disruptive and can be scaled at a viable cost.
Development of Concretene to date has focused on slab construction. Concrete is the most complex non-organic material, with many different mix designs and chemistries, constituent variations and additives that can be specified. The concrete used in sleepers is similarly challenging, with a more complex chemistry than that of slabs, not yet tested with Concretene.
Although there is existing IP around graphene-enhanced concretes (mostly from China and US), Concretene's formulation and method of graphene dispersion is unique and is covered by an international patent pending.
Throughout Phase 1, we have worked with Cemex and BRE to study and understand the types of concrete mixes used, durability requirements, manufacturing and logistical production requirements and expectations of Network Rail to give confidence for trials on their controlled infrastructure.
On this basis and with four years of data, thousands of test results and pilot applications of Concretene, we are confident that our formulation can be adapted to provide lower-carbon railway sleepers with a programme of further development.
Our GCRE Phase 2 proposal includes input from the full supply chain; manufacturer, installer, to asset owner and this is further backed up by our development ecosystem of partners, each bringing an area of speciality to assist in the development of Concretene for sleeper applications.
After water, concrete is the most widely used material on earth, with 32Bn tonnes of concrete produced annually and 2.9Bn tonnes of associated CO2. Consequently, the global cement industry already accounts for more than 7% of worldwide CO2 emissions.
Hence, embodied carbon in concrete remains one of the world's biggest environmental challenges, with no established, sustainable solution.
Concretene has been developed to enhance the properties of concrete. This performance improvement directly reduces the cement required and the embodied carbon of the product. The technology incorporates graphene to improve the microstructure of concrete, increasing compressive, tensile and flexural strength, reducing curing periods, microcracking and permeability. The technology has been developed for use in batching production facilities, is non-disruptive and can be scaled at a viable cost.
Development of Concretene to date has focused on slab construction. Concrete is the most complex non-organic material, with many different mix designs and chemistries, constituent variations and additives that can be specified. The concrete used in sleepers is similarly challenging, with a more complex chemistry than that of slabs, not yet tested with Concretene.
Although there is existing IP around graphene-enhanced concretes (mostly from China and US), Concretene's formulation and method of graphene dispersion is unique and is covered by an international patent pending.
Throughout Phase 1, we have worked with Cemex and BRE to study and understand the types of concrete mixes used, durability requirements, manufacturing and logistical production requirements and expectations of Network Rail to give confidence for trials on their controlled infrastructure.
On this basis and with four years of data, thousands of test results and pilot applications of Concretene, we are confident that our formulation can be adapted to provide lower-carbon railway sleepers with a programme of further development.
Our GCRE Phase 2 proposal includes input from the full supply chain; manufacturer, installer, to asset owner and this is further backed up by our development ecosystem of partners, each bringing an area of speciality to assist in the development of Concretene for sleeper applications.
Lead Participant | Project Cost | Grant Offer |
|---|---|---|
| NATIONWIDE ENGINEERING RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT LTD | £486,337 | £ 340,436 |
People |
ORCID iD |
| Alex McDermott (Project Manager) |