Successful trials developing cement-free carbon-negative concrete with CircaBuild aggregate
CCP Building Products, part of the SigmaRoc group and a large manufacturer and leading supplier of concrete blocks in the UK, have announced that the first trials using their Greenbloc Technology and Carbon8’s CircaBuild aggregate have resulted in the production of cement-free carbon-negative concrete blocks.
Carbon8’s CircaBuild aggregate.
CCP Building Products are committed to being a leading authority in ultra-low carbon concrete technology and have been working with Carbon8’s carbon-negative CircaBuild aggregates.
Ian St Hillaire, Technology & Innovation Director for SigmaRoc UK, CCP’s parent group, explains: “we set about producing trial samples of concrete blocks at site production scale to push the boundaries of possible. This led to some exciting developments in our Greenbloc technology using Carbon8 carbon-negative aggregate. Combining the alternative aggregate with cement-free technology in the right proportions allows us to successfully produce a concrete block that is not only ultra-low in carbon embodiment but is actually carbon negative”.
Maarten van Roon, CCO of Carbon8 said: “We are hugely excited about these promising initial results demonstrating that cement-free carbon negative blocks can be manufactured using Carbon8’s CircaBuild aggregate. It demonstrates our commitment to collaborating and co-creating with industry, our clients and the wider market to provide low carbon products to industry, with our CCUS solution.”
CircaBuild are low-carbon and carbon-negative alternatives to virgin lightweight aggregates resulting from Carbon8’s carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS) solution. The technology solution offers industrial clients, including cement and EfW plants, a means to decarbonise by capturing a portion of their CO₂ and combining it with the ash and residues produced on their site. The CO₂ is permanently and safely stored within the new material, in solid mineral form, contributing to the decarbonisation of industry, and providing an alternative to virgin materials in the construction industry. Carbon8 is currently working with partners to develop trials for the use of the material in construction applications, including concrete blocks. Other applications that are being tested include fertiliser product.
Carbon8’s technology can capture and store more CO₂ in CircaBuild aggregates, than emitted in the process, making them low-carbon and carbon negative.
Phil Rotheram, General Manager of CCP Buildings Products explains: “Ian and his team will be full steam ahead to next upscale the plant trials and then formally produce supporting EPDs to not only establish the product as fit for purpose but also to prove the carbon negative claims”.
Maarten states that “we will continue working with partners like CCP Building Products, to demonstrate the use of the aggregate in construction applications.”
What is CircaBuild?
CircaBuild aggregates are low-carbon and carbon-negative alternatives to virgin aggregates. They are manufactured using Carbon8’s patented technology, Accelerated Carbonation Technology (ACT), which mineralises and carbonates industrial residues. These residues and ash, resulting from the incineration processes at industrial sites, contain oxides, hydroxides and silicates, which are reactive to CO₂. ACT controls, manages and accelerates this natural reaction to manufacture new products using CO₂ and residues produced by heavy industry.
The CO₂ is permanently stored in solid mineral form and is not re-emitted after the demolition of the concrete block.
