Engineered UK clays for production of low-carbon cements
Lead Research Organisation:
Imperial College London
Department Name: Civil & Environmental Engineering
Abstract
Portland cement concrete is the most heavily used manufactured material on the planet after clean water, and it is integral to modern life. However, the production of 4 billion tonnes of Portland cement per year is responsible for 8% of global man-made greenhouse gas emissions. With the growing threat of climate change, there is an urgent need to decarbonise cement production. Currently, the most viable approach to reduce cement's carbon footprint involve the widespread use of supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs), such as fly ash from electricity generation and ground granulated blast furnace slag from steel manufacture. However, with decarbonisation of electricity and the decline of UK steel manufacture, these materials are becoming increasingly scarce. Therefore, we need to develop low-carbon alternatives, without disrupting construction practice nor compromising on long-term performance. This is the ultimate goal of this project.
Recently, there has been growing interest in using clays as cementitious materials in the production of low-carbon concrete because they are practical, affordable, and scalable. The UK has abundant clay resources that can be easily obtained from overburdens of existing quarries and infrastructure development projects, where they are currently regarded as wastes. However, most of the clay in the UK and globally are low grade and are less reactive compared to high purity kaolinite clays. Therefore, there is a need to develop focussed solutions based on these low-grade clay deposits, rather than to depend on the importation of alternatives from thousands of miles. This project is timely since increased infrastructure activity, e.g. Crossrail, HS2, as well as driving increased demand for cement and concrete, will also lead to higher production of construction spoils that contain waste clays. Thus, we will develop new low-carbon cements from locally sourced clay-bearing construction and mining spoils. Using these in concrete production is a highly sustainable and circular solution; turning waste clays into valuable resources.
The development of low-carbon cements is vital, but if these new materials are not translated from the laboratory to the construction site, then the necessary change will not arise. To achieve this, we will examine the performance of these new low-carbon cements from manufacture, through site practice to understanding long-term durability. The research team will work with industry from all along the supply chain to ensure that the newly developed materials satisfy industry requirements and are adopted as wide as possible to maximise carbon reductions of our built environment.
In summary, the research team and their industrial partners will develop new cements from locally sourced low-grade waste clays to significantly reduce the carbon footprint of concrete and ensure performance along the entire lifetime of infrastructure. This will help the UK to deliver on its plans to decarbonise and achieve a net-zero economy.
Recently, there has been growing interest in using clays as cementitious materials in the production of low-carbon concrete because they are practical, affordable, and scalable. The UK has abundant clay resources that can be easily obtained from overburdens of existing quarries and infrastructure development projects, where they are currently regarded as wastes. However, most of the clay in the UK and globally are low grade and are less reactive compared to high purity kaolinite clays. Therefore, there is a need to develop focussed solutions based on these low-grade clay deposits, rather than to depend on the importation of alternatives from thousands of miles. This project is timely since increased infrastructure activity, e.g. Crossrail, HS2, as well as driving increased demand for cement and concrete, will also lead to higher production of construction spoils that contain waste clays. Thus, we will develop new low-carbon cements from locally sourced clay-bearing construction and mining spoils. Using these in concrete production is a highly sustainable and circular solution; turning waste clays into valuable resources.
The development of low-carbon cements is vital, but if these new materials are not translated from the laboratory to the construction site, then the necessary change will not arise. To achieve this, we will examine the performance of these new low-carbon cements from manufacture, through site practice to understanding long-term durability. The research team will work with industry from all along the supply chain to ensure that the newly developed materials satisfy industry requirements and are adopted as wide as possible to maximise carbon reductions of our built environment.
In summary, the research team and their industrial partners will develop new cements from locally sourced low-grade waste clays to significantly reduce the carbon footprint of concrete and ensure performance along the entire lifetime of infrastructure. This will help the UK to deliver on its plans to decarbonise and achieve a net-zero economy.
Organisations
- Imperial College London (Lead Research Organisation)
- Saint-Gobain S.A. (Collaboration)
- Wienerberger (Collaboration)
- Ibstock Brick Limited (Collaboration)
- Anglo American (United Kingdom) (Collaboration)
- Hanson Cement (Collaboration)
- Ramboll (United Kingdom) (Project Partner)
- Cemex (United Kingdom) (Project Partner)
- Sika Ltd (Project Partner)
- Expedition (United Kingdom) (Project Partner)
- The Institute of Concrete Technology (Project Partner)
- Central University of Las Villas (Project Partner)
- Brett Concrete (Project Partner)
- Laing O'Rourke (United Kingdom) (Project Partner)
- Hanson Heidelberg Cement Group (Project Partner)
- Arup Group (United Kingdom) (Project Partner)
Publications
Kemp SJ
(2023)
Engineered UK clays for the production of low-carbon cements
Al-Noaimat Y
(2023)
Upcycling end-of-life bricks in high-performance one-part alkali-activated materials
in Developments in the Built Environment
Description | International PhD studentship - Low-carbon and reusable structural systems formed with eco-friendly materials for sustainable infrastructures |
Amount | £105,000 (GBP) |
Organisation | Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research |
Sector | Public |
Country | Kuwait |
Start | 01/2023 |
End | 07/2026 |
Description | International PhD studentship - Understanding the hydration of Portland cements blended with calcined clay |
Amount | £110,000 (GBP) |
Organisation | University of Leeds |
Sector | Academic/University |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 04/2023 |
End | 10/2026 |
Title | Database of UK clays |
Description | Database of UK clay stockpiles, their location, accessibility, properties and potential for processing to form low-carbon cements. Compilation of the database is an ongoing activity and the results will be used to inform subsequent sampling and detailed characterisation work. |
Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
Year Produced | 2023 |
Provided To Others? | No |
Impact | When completed, the database will be openly disseminated to guide future industrial exploitation. |
Description | UK mineral industry operating companies |
Organisation | Hanson Cement |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Private |
PI Contribution | Characterisation of the mineralogical composition of clay samples. Data will be provided to the operating companies. |
Collaborator Contribution | Access to quarries and mines. Assistance in collection of samples.. |
Impact | No outputs as yet. |
Start Year | 2022 |
Description | UK mineral industry operating companies |
Organisation | Ibstock Brick Limited |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Private |
PI Contribution | Characterisation of the mineralogical composition of clay samples. Data will be provided to the operating companies. |
Collaborator Contribution | Access to quarries and mines. Assistance in collection of samples.. |
Impact | No outputs as yet. |
Start Year | 2022 |
Description | UK mineral industry operating companies |
Organisation | Saint-Gobain S.A. |
Country | France |
Sector | Private |
PI Contribution | Characterisation of the mineralogical composition of clay samples. Data will be provided to the operating companies. |
Collaborator Contribution | Access to quarries and mines. Assistance in collection of samples.. |
Impact | No outputs as yet. |
Start Year | 2022 |
Description | UK mineral industry operating companies |
Organisation | Tarmac Ltd |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Private |
PI Contribution | Characterisation of the mineralogical composition of clay samples. Data will be provided to the operating companies. |
Collaborator Contribution | Access to quarries and mines. Assistance in collection of samples.. |
Impact | No outputs as yet. |
Start Year | 2022 |
Description | UK mineral industry operating companies |
Organisation | Wienerberger |
Country | Austria |
Sector | Private |
PI Contribution | Characterisation of the mineralogical composition of clay samples. Data will be provided to the operating companies. |
Collaborator Contribution | Access to quarries and mines. Assistance in collection of samples.. |
Impact | No outputs as yet. |
Start Year | 2022 |
Description | Circular Chemistry; the enabler to help solve global challenges |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Presentation on circular economy in cement and concrete sectors, highlighting research from within the ICEC-MCM, the development of calcined clays and other work from within the University of Leeds. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
URL | https://www.rsc.org/events/detail/74666/circular-chemistry |
Description | Invited Lecture at Technologies for Low Carbon and Lean Construction (TLC2) launch at IIT-Madras |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
Results and Impact | Delivered an invited lecture on circular economy and construction to ~150 Masters and PhD students, academics and industry partners at the launch of IIT-Madras' new TLC2 research centre. This 4-day event prompted significant discussion among the audience as to how best to achieve circular economy goals within different environments, i.e. comparing and contrasting work in the UK and India. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
URL | https://civil.iitm.ac.in/tlc/ |