Unlocking the Potential of Recycled Fibre Reinforcements in Construction: Automating Quality Assessment through Machine Learning (ML)

The UK has pledged to end its contribution to climate change by 2050 and recently declared a climate emergency. The construction industry, which is responsible for a significant portion of carbon emissions, needs to adopt more recycled materials. The shift towards a circular economy is crucial, and the construction sector must take bold action to meet carbon reduction targets. The use of low carbon solutions like recycled fibres recovered from End-of-Life tyres is essential for achieving carbon-neutral construction. However, assessing the quality of these fibres is challenging due to their varying geometries and this impedes their market acceptance. To address this, the project aims to automate the quality assessment using machine learning techniques. By improving efficiency and providing evidence of quality, this collaboration seeks to promote the adoption of recycled fibres in reinforced concrete applications, reducing waste and CO2 emissions in sustainable construction.