Technology developed by Concrete4Change (C4C) that can make concrete a carbon sink rather than carbon producer will be trialled and tested by researchers from the University of Warwick. C4C are on a mission is to enable the concrete industry to transition from CO2 emitters to CO2 sinks, by developing a technology capable of removing significant amounts of CO2 from the atmosphere and absorbing it into concrete.
The sequestration of CO2 results in the strength enhancement of concrete; therefore, reducing the amount of cement required to produce equivalentstrength concrete. Both CO2 sequestration and cement reduction can contribute to the reduction of concrete’s CO2 footprint. This technology has the potential to mitigate 2 billion tonnes of CO2e emissions, the equivalent of 4% of global CO2e emissions.
The School of Engineering and High Value Manufacturing Catapult at the University of Warwick will undertake essential testing for the company with the help of funding through Innovate UK and the DI4M programme. Dr Reyes Garcia from the School of Engineering said: “As the world strives to reach zero-carbon goals, the construction industry and we civil engineers have a huge role to play to make concrete more sustainable. The cement we use to produce concrete contributes massively to CO2 emissions, and therefore we need to take drastic action now if the construction sector is to achieve its CO2 reduction goals.”
C4C has also been selected by British Precast as one of the top three most innovative companies and as one of the top five companies for Knowledge Transfer Network Transforming Foundation Industries. Pictured: left to right, CTO Dr Michael Wise and Dr Sid Pourfalah, Founder and CEO of Concrete4Change at COP26.
Source: www.warwick.ac.uk
