Public Funding for EFC Green Concrete Technology UK Ltd

Concrete, a composite material of aggregate bonded with fluid cement, cures over time. Widely used and second only to water, it offers affordability, abundance, and reliability across environments. However, production with ordinary Portland cement (OPC) presents significant energy and emissions challenges. If the cement industry were a country, it would rank as the third-largest emitter of carbon dioxide, reaching up to 2.8 billion tonnes, surpassed only by China and the US. Geopolymer, also known as Alkali Activated Material, based concrete (GPC), emerges as an eco-friendly alternative. GPC utilises a range of materials, often industrial by-products, termed precursors. These include fly and bottom ashes from coal-fired power plants, calcined clays, natural pozzolans, iron-rich clays, non-ferrous slags, clay-rich sludges from water treatment, red mud, and agricultural waste ashes. Mixed with an alkaline medium, these materials form a cementitious substance to replace Portland cement in concrete production. Geopolymer concrete offers innovation and eco-friendliness as an alternative to traditional Portland cement concrete. However, GPC faces market challenges due to its higher price and the increased water content required for adequate workability, limiting achievable strength. The higher cost restricts its use in non-structural applications, while low workability at high strengths prevents entry into the precast market. Earth Friendly Concrete Ltd (EFC) has heavily invested in its breakthrough "LowCast" GPC binding chemistry technology to overcome these hurdles, nearing significant deployment in the market. EFC's technology accommodates a wide range of precursors. The LowCast project aims to overcome the final hurdles to commercialisation. Collaborating with end-users from the concrete precast industry, we will demonstrate the scale-up and implementation of our innovative, trade-secret protected GPC technology in a real-world precast production plant with Tracey Concrete. Additionally, in partnership with United Utilities, one of the UK's largest wastewater companies, we will exhibit in real-world demonstration projects, the superior corrosion-resistance properties of precast wastewater products made with our GPC compared to the incumbent OPC concrete. LowCast GPC promises cost competitiveness with existing precast products, offering a revolutionary reduction of emissions by up to 85% compared to Ordinary Portland Cement.