Exploring Eco-efficient blended cements: Innovations in performance and sustainability

Europe is committed to achieve the ambitious goal of reducing greenhouse emissions and to transition towards an energy-neutral built environment by 2050.

The construction sector, which contributes >70% of CO2 emissions in many countries, urgently needs to adopt greener practices.

In response to this challenge, this research combines materials science, environmental science and civil engineering to develop new novel cements with the potential to reduce CO2 emissions from Portland cement by up to 40%.

The main aim of this project is to develop an innovative and comprehensive approach to optimizing the design of new ultra-low clinker hybrid alkaline cements (HAC), using treated low-purity clays as cement replacements, in combination with sodium sulfate.

This will be achieved by:- Determining the effectiveness of calcination or mechano-chemical (MCA) activation in enhancing the pozzolanicity of low-purity clays, focusing on revealing nano-structural alterations induced by such treatments in the clay structure/ mineralogy.- Elucidating the factors controlling the fresh state properties of HAC produced from calcined or MCA clays, focusing on rheology, reaction kinetics and in-situ characterisation of the reaction products forming