Capital Concrete-Involved Consortium Secure Funding For New Low Carbon Cement Technology

A new low carbon cement technology is being developed for use in commercial and domestic projects with the aim of reducing the carbon footprint of construction projects across the UK and Europe.

Capital Concrete is part of a consortium, consisting of BRE Group, Creagh Concrete, Ecocem, Loughborough University, Ramboll Group and Sisk, that have been collaborating on the project and have secured £500,000 in funding from Innovate UK as part of the ‘Contracts for Innovation: Decarbonising Concrete’ competition.

Developed by Ecocem, 'ACT’ is a new low carbon cement technology that reduces the amount of clinker, the main CO2-producing component of cement, and maximises the use of low-carbon material ingredients to decarbonise the production of cement by as much as 70%, while enhancing the strength and durability of the material.

Capital Concrete has been working closely with the project team to carry out technical tests and environmental assessments on the low carbon material in a laboratory at their Cricklewood plant.

The Cricklewood plant will also be used to batch concrete made with the new low carbon technology and delivered to Wembley Park in October, where the material will be demonstrated in new residential buildings by construction company, Sisk.

In addition to providing their new facilities, Capital Concrete’s Technical Director, Jack Sindhu, will work with the project team to provide his technical expertise for the innovation and launch of new products. Jack commented: “Sustainability has become a primary consideration for many construction projects, and we are delighted to be working with industry experts in the development of a new, sustainable material that can offer a reduction in embodied carbon of up to 70%.”

John Reddy, Director of Concrete Technology Deployment, Ecocem said: “We have assembled a great delivery team of experts under the leadership of Sisk and our consortium will demonstrate that rapid decarbonisation of the cement and concrete industry is possible… This funding from Innovate UK is a very welcome investment in delivering a low carbon future for construction and a great example of how governments can take the lead in scaling innovation and enabling decarbonisation.”