The Mevocrete project, led by Material Evolution Ltd, is on the verge of commercially producing carbon-negative cement as it ends the two-year development period
The two-year development Mevocrete project, funded by Innovate UK, ends this month and will transition to the production stage in the near future.
The Mevocrete project aims to produce a carbon-negative cement, made using waste materials from various sources.
Contributing to the circular economy with construction waste reuse
The Mevocrete project has achieved a first-of-its-kind cement, in that it takes materials from sources such as industrial by-products, and waste from the chemical industry.
This is then developed into a geopolymer cement. Material Evolution had already produced a low-carbon cement (saving 85% of carbon emissions with its production), and they built on this to make their product carbon-negative.
The materials used are taken from the whole supply chain, saving and reducing carbon waste at every stage.
Material Evolution was supported throughout the process
The grant awarded to the project in 2022 by Innovate UK amounted to £7.6m, in support of its sustainability goals under the Transforming Foundation Industries (TFI) Challenge programme.
Other partners that supported the development of the cement include the Materials Processing Institute, Teesside University, CELSA Manufacturing, and LKAB Minerals, among others.
David Hughes, Teesside University associate dean and chief scientific officer of Material Evolution, said: “This project really is a collaborative journey for a more positive carbon neutral built environment which, through Mevocrete and new technology, sees an untapped supply of historic by-products from heavy industry diverted away from landfill.
“We’re already having conversations with leading contractors, architects, government agencies and institutions that ultimately have a huge say in the way cement is made and specified. We’re providing the means to a greener future, taking industrial waste from landfills and powering it into something new, sustainable and less carbon intensive.”
The Mevocrete project is set to enter the production stage soon
Owner of Material Evolution Ltd, Liz Gilligan, said: “In just a few years, we’ve achieved a remarkable position within the industry, and soon we’ll be able to launch our first industrial-scale cement factory in Wrexham working at volume – delivering a product that’ll enable today’s contractors, engineers and architects to build a greener tomorrow.
“Our ultimate goal is to remove one gigaton of carbon by 2040, and these ambitious targets are driving our research forward with likeminded collaborators across various industries as we continue to accelerate the net zero agenda.”
The net zero cement developed through the Mevocrete project does not currently have a start date for production, but it is hoped to begin production in the Wrexham factory in the near future.
