Demonstration of using low carbon precast concrete products for an energy efficient built environment

The production of Portland cement is well acknowledged as having a significant impact on the environment, accounting for 8% of global CO2 emissions (4bn tonnes per annum). Concrete is the most widely used man-made material in the world and therefore has a vast potential to absorb high volumes of waste and by-product materials. These materials can act as partial replacements, i.e. supplementary cementitious materials, or total replacements and be the cement-like precursors for geopolymer concretes. The LowCoPreCon project brings together academic and industrial partners from the UK and Malaysia with the aim of identifying available waste streams with which to manufacture geopolymer concretes on a commercial scale.

Initial laboratory work was conducted by academic partners to design geopolymer concretes that had both optimum strength and workability. These mixes were then used in factory trials to successfully cast structural elements, including building blocks, wall slabs and staircases. To determine the potential environmental benefits of geopolymer concrete, a detailed life cycle assessment will be conducted. Two demonstration projects using the novel material will be constructed in Malaysia; a domestic building and a FlexiArch bridge.