Along with six other companies our Skanska Costain STRABAG joint Venture (SCS JV) working on HS2 London Tunnels has successfully won funding from Innovate UK, to help accelerate the decarbonisation of the UK concrete industry.
The funding will be used by the SCS JV team to continue developing a replacement for carbon intensive Portland Cement with repurposed London Clay.
The team is working together with customer HS2, technical lead Arup, concrete supplier Tarmac, the University of Leeds and Sika UK along with Expedition Engineering and the Mineral Product Association (MPA). By calcinating (heating to activate) London Clay that is excavated from the tunnel activities the team is using it as a replacement for Portland Cement in concrete for the HS2 permanent works.
Portland Cement manufacturing requires large amounts of energy and emits high levels of CO2. Data from the original trial (REAL Initiative), funded by HS2, has shown that calcined London Clay excavated from tunnels and other construction activities could be a viable alternative to cement in concrete.
Results from the preliminary trial were very promising – along with considerable carbon reduction figures, tens of millions of pounds could potentially be saved on a project similar in size to HS2. However, more data and research is needed. The funding will help the team scale up production and take the trial to the next level.
Apostolos Tsoumelekas, Materials Engineering Manager who has been heavily involved in developing the product said: “This innovation was first sparked by discussion with an expert in Arup who had been researching the applications of calcined clays in concrete. Working together with our customer and the supply chain we have been able to help turn this idea into reality.
“The clay that is excavated from the HS2 tunnels is essentially a waste product. We have developed a process which calcines the clay and grinds it to a powder transforming it into a useful resource which can then be added to concrete replacing Portland cement. The results have been impressive and hopefully if it’s scaled up it could really help speed up the adoption of low-carbon concrete for commercial use.”
Innovate UK, the UK's innovation agency, is investing £3.2 million in seven innovation projects, including SCS JV, to help propel the decarbonisation of the UK’s concrete industry.
Dr. Stafford Lloyd, Innovation Lead, Clean Growth Strategy, Innovate UK, said: “We’re pleased to announce the projects receiving funding via the Decarbonising Concrete competition. These projects are cutting-edge, and we can expect to see them looking at producing alternative cements and whole new production methods with new additives. We’re really starting to accelerate innovation in decarbonising concrete.”
