Ultra-Low Carbon Cement a Green Building Boon

Material Evolution will become the UK’s first large-scale producer of ultra-low carbon cement, offering a significant reduction in embodied CO2 emissions for the construction sector.
Cement is a cornerstone of global construction, but it carries a hefty environmental burden.
Global production of cement currently stands at an estimated 4.1 billion tonnes annually and the manufacturing accounts for around 8% of total global carbon dioxide emissions.
Traditional production processes release substantial CO2 emissions, yet the construction industry is innovating to tackle these environmental challenges.
For years, researchers have pursued ways to lessen this impact and now, a promising solution is emerging: ultra-low carbon cement.
This innovative material offers a significant reduction in embodied CO2, making it a potential game-changer for sustainable construction worldwide.
The news from the UK is particularly encouraging.
Material Evolution, a British company specialising in carbon cement production, is poised to launch its production of ultra-low carbon cement through its Mevocrete project at its new Wrexham factory this autumn.

A sustainable cement manufacturing process

The key to this development lies in the manufacturing process itself. Traditional cement production involves heating limestone to very high temperatures, a process responsible for a large portion of its CO2 emissions.
​​​​​​​Material Evolution, however, has developed an alternative method. 

Its factory utilises a special reactor operating at room temperature, which transforms byproducts from the steel industry into a low-carbon cement substitute.
This approach offers a two-pronged benefit.
Firstly, it reduces CO2 emissions associated with cement production.
Secondly, it diverts waste from landfills, promoting a more circular economy within the construction sector.

Electric cement breakthrough

Another cement breakthrough started this year with scientists from the world-famous Cambridge University in England, who have found a way to recycle cement that has already been used in existing construction projects.
This is called ‘electric cement’.
The process involves leveraging the heat generated by another heavy industry: steel recycling.
In steel recycling, chemicals are added to the molten metal to prevent oxidation and the formation of impurities, known as slag.
These chemicals form a layer on the surface of the metal.
The scientists realised that the composition of used cement is remarkably similar to this slag. Then this discovery led them to experiment with using electric arc furnaces, commonly used in steel recycling, to reactivate the used cement.
The process exposes the used cement to high temperatures in the electric arc furnace, effectively rejuvenating it.
Partners in the project include leading construction firms such as Balfour Beatty, AtkinsRéalis, Tarmac, Celsa, Day Aggregates and the Materials Processing Institute.
As a result, Spanish company Celsa Group – a multinational group of steel companies – will attempt to replicate the process at scale in its electric arc furnace.

Material Evolution scaling up for global impact

Material Evolution has ambitious plans for its ultra-low carbon cement.
The company aims to replicate and expand its production process across the UK and Europe.
This widespread adoption could significantly reduce the construction industry's carbon footprint on a global scale.

Professor David Hughes, CSO at Material Evolution and co-lead of the Mevocrete project said: “Cement is a binder and what we’re looking at here is creating a net zero embodied carbon cement which is inherently more durability, which means our houses, infrastructure and transport highways would be transformed on mass industry scale, really tapping into a local and national picture of a net zero environment.”

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