Date: Tuesday, 5th November, 2024

Time: 4 PM to 8 PM

Location: Ryde Eastwood Leagues Club - 117 Ryedale Road, West Ryde, NSW 2114

Format: Face-to-face

Event Summary

What does a world of sustainable concrete look like? Ideally it would incorporate innovative practices that minimise environmental impact while maximising use and durability. Throughout the world there is an amazing amount of work that is being conducted to achieve this, but it requires a collective effort for it to be effective.

Our seminar and forum "A World of Sustainable Concrete" is an incredible opportunity to hear from internationally recognised speakers from all parts of the globe who are working towards this collaboration. Our three keynote speakers are not only exceptional practitioners in concrete sustainability, but as past CIA keynote conference presenters, are warmly welcomed back to share their experience and knowledge to delegates and guests. 

We are also privileged, through the International Federation of Structural Concrete (fib) to have a forum of world leading sustainable concrete minds available to provide updates and discuss solutions alongside our 4 presenters. 

Registration is limited and we are expecting a diversity of industry sectors and experience to be in attendance, despite being Melbourne Cup day. Register early to avoid disappointment.

Their esteemed keynote presenters include:

Dr. Agnieszka Bigaj-Van Bliet (Netherlands): "Innovative Pathways to Sustainability of Existing Concrete Structures"

Dr. Akio Kasuga (Japan): "Low-Carbon Technologies to Reduce Whole Life Carbon of Concrete Structures"

Dr. Steve Denton (UK): "Sustainability, Standards, and Simplification – A Realistic Combination?"

Professor Steve Foster (Australia): "Building Greener: The Role of Design and Alternative Materials"

To see the program, registration and ticketing follow the link below.
 

https://concreteinstitute.com.au/professional-development/upcoming-events/a-world-of-sustainable-concrete-407

A recent study by the German Lithium Institute shows that by-products from lithium production, particularly leached spodumene concentrate (LSC) [aka DBS], can be used in cement manufacturing. LSC, rich in aluminosilicates, is claimed in the study to enhance the strength of Portland cement by 10% when used as a 20% additive.

Studies funded by the Australasian Pozzolan Association, haven’t show more conservative strength gains, but this was using un-beneficiated DBS.  These international developments could help supplement other current SCM’s and reduce the cement industry's carbon footprint, and hold substantial industrial potential.

“The use of industrial residues from lithium production in cements and concretes significantly contributes to the conservation of valuable natural resources,” stated Thomas Neumann, head of research and development at Schwenk Zement, another of ITEL’s shareholding companies.

“Through innovative material use, we make an important contribution to achieving our sustainability goals. By integrating these residues, we can not only reduce environmental impact but also decrease CO2 emissions.”

Read the full article here.

Millions of properties across the U.S. are vulnerable to flooding, hurricanes, tornadoes, and wildfires, prompting insurers to actively educate policyholders on strengthening their buildings. Enhancing resilience through advancements in concreting is highly important for building owners, government officials, insurers, and professionals in design and construction alike.

Stronger and safer buildings

With a need for resilience against hurricane force winds, the Pérez Art Museum in Miami relied on ultra-high-performance concrete (UHPC) precast mullions to blend with the structure’s cast-in-place concrete elements. Photo courtesy Herzog & de Meuron

Concrete is the world’s most widely used construction material due to its significant performance, sustainability, and cost advantages. Concrete can also be produced from recycled products, mitigating carbon induced harms to the Environment. These attributes come in addition to the material’s unequalled durability, high thermal mass to improve energy efficiency, and other characteristics allowing for its successful adaptation to the realities of climate change.

High-performance concrete buildings excel in withstanding extreme winds, debris from hurricanes, tropical storms, and tornadoes, as well as wind-driven rain, hail, flood damage, decay, and mould. Despite its crucial role in building resilience, concrete's significant carbon footprint, primarily from ordinary Portland cement (OPC), which accounts for 90 to 95 percent of its carbon intensity, highlights the urgent need to decrease OPC usage to mitigate carbon impacts on global warming.

Supplementary cementing materials and blends

Innovative carbon reducing solutions are actively being explored. One promising approach is the substitution of Type I/II Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC) with Type IL Portland Limestone Cement (PLC), which contains higher limestone content. Type IL cement, widely accepted in industry standards and building codes, directly reduces carbon emissions in all types of concrete. For instance, a manufacturer's PLC product can cut CO2 emissions by five to 10 percent per ton of cement. Extensive laboratory and field testing confirms that PLC delivers performance equivalent to OPC.

In addition to Type IL PLC, other blended cements and supplementary cementing materials (SCMs) can be used to replace OPC and reduce the GWP of concrete while enhancing performance. The most commonly used SCMs—fly ash, slag cement, and silica fume—provide economy, improved workability, long-term strength and durability, and increased sustainability. The beneficial reuse of these materials in concrete contributes to world-class environmental certifications, such as LEED, Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM), Green Globes, and Living Building Challenge.

Additional alternative cementitious options include ground glass pozzolan made from glass waste streams and natural pozzolans sourced from natural mineral and volcanic deposits. The most common natural pozzolans used in concrete are calcined clay, calcined shale, and metakaolin. Other less widely used types include pumice, obsidian, and zeolites. A wealth of these different natural pozzolans is continually being evaluated within the industry to determine if they are readily available, cost effective, and meet targeted performance parameters.

Advancements in low-carbon concrete

The focus on sustainable construction and the need to reduce the carbon footprint of the built environment has led to the formulation of low-carbon concrete mixes that are custom designed with an innovative blend of SCMs and admixture technologies to provide high-performance properties with up to a minimum of 30 percent lower CO2 emissions than the U.S. industry average. These sustainable mixes can also be produced with construction demolition waste and other recycled aggregates to further enhance circular economy benefits.

Low-carbon concrete projects

Detailed information about high-performance sustainable concrete with innovative low-carbon mix solutions and its applications in various projects across Dallas, Denver, New Orleans, Miami, and Minneapolis can be found by clicking this link. It covers how these regions are utilising advanced concrete technologies to enhance resilience against natural disasters like hurricanes and tornadoes, achieve sustainable building certifications such as LEED, and address climate challenges through innovative concrete mixes and construction practices.

To read more follow the link below:

https://www.constructionspecifier.com/building-resilience-and-decarbonization-concrete-solutions/

Concrete Institute of Australia is back with its Biennial National Conference in September 2025, and YOU are invited to participate in Concrete 2025 by submitting an abstract to form part of the program for the conference.

Concrete 2025 will be held at the Adelaide Convention Centre from 7th - 10th September 2025.

The theme for Concrete 2025 is “Concrete Solutions for a Sustainable Future” and there are several topics for you to consider for abstract submission and to be part of the technical program.

Concrete 2025 will be a fantastic opportunity for the concrete industry in Australia and around the world to showcase the innovation and advances made in concrete research, materials, design, construction and technology, as well as sustainability and low carbon concrete solutions.

Get involved! Click this link to view all abstract topics.

Abstract Submissions close: 26 September 2024.

SUBMIT YOUR ABSTRACT NOW!

Early Bird registrations open 1st October 2024.

To check out more about the venue, key dates, sponsors and exhibition opportunities click the link below.
https://ciaconference.com.au/

Last May the Concrete Institute Australia Technical Talk was held in Perth, with a theme of sustainability. Topics at the talk included the mentioning of delithiated beta spodumene (DBS) as a material that holds sustainability benefits, with an excellent presentation on decarbonisation opportunities as a new supplementary cementitious material (SCM) By Tianqi Lithium Energy Australia (TLEA).  

Dr. Hazel Lim, the R&D Team Lead of TLEA, presented and introduced their work on testing Tianqi’s aluminosilicate (TAS), which generated lots of interest from members of the audience, including representatives from both government and private organisations wishing to discuss how to get access to this material in cement/concrete and other products.

Some key details from the presentation include that, samples of TAS have been evaluated to determine compliance with the new AS2582.4 & shown to meet all requirements.

Data from the concrete testing program indicate that TAS concretes meet and often exceed expectations compared to other SCMs. Dr. Lim explained that the TAS concrete develops lower early age strength, performs better than fly ash but is relatively inferior to slag, and the 30-day strength exceeds GP control at 25% replacement.

To gather more information suggested reading from Tianqi Lithium Energy Australia's presentation include Bob Munn’s conference paper on CIA Conferences, available here.

A/Prof. Wengui Li's cement-based sensors can detect microscopic cracks the naked eye can't see. Image Credit: R Freeman UNSW

Concrete is the backbone of our modern world, but its production is a major contributor to global carbon emissions.

Researchers are now pioneering new “smart concrete” technologies to make this ubiquitous material more sustainable, durable, and multifunctional.

At the University of New South Wales, Associate Professor Wengui Li is leading efforts to develop self-sensing concrete embedded with conductive sensors that can detect microscopic cracks before they worsen.

“It’s far better to act early on cracks in structures. Leaving it too late can lead to demolishing,” Li explains.

This could help prevent catastrophic failures like the 2018 Opal Tower incident, where residents were evacuated due to cracking in structural concrete beams.

Li’s team has also successfully added a crystalline mixture to concrete that can heal hairline cracks after exposure to moisture, potentially extending the lifespan of reinforced concrete structures from 50 years to over a century.

“If we can solve this problem, we can improve the durability and extend the service life of the concrete to more than 100 years,” said Li.

Beyond self-healing concrete, researchers are exploring cement-free alternatives like geopolymer concrete, which replaces cement’s carbon-intensive clinker with industrial by-products like coal ash and slag.

Li’s group has developed geopolymer concrete containing over 80 per cent recycled glass powder, diverting waste from landfills.

Other innovations include photocatalytic concrete that uses titanium dioxide and light exposure to break down air pollutants from vehicle exhaust into harmless salts.

In the U.S., engineers have created a concrete supercapacitor by adding carbon black, paving the way for energy-storing concrete foundations that could power entire homes.­

As the world grapples with the climate crisis, these concrete solutions offer a promising path toward sustainable and resilient construction.

Article: Green Review, Construction – Sage media Group

Réjean Carrier, the President of Quebec-based Carboniq Inc., aims to take the pozzolan, process the material in a nearby facility, and export it globally using the rail lines and port within the area.

"We have this presence of volcanic ashes in a zone around Dalhousie," he explains in French, pointing out a rock called pozzolan. "It will bring good jobs to the area."

The natural resource is the result of the region’s prehistoric past. Over 400 million years ago, a nearby volcano spewed ash across the landscape, creating layers and layer of pozzolan.

Recent studies have revealed that these layers are deep enough to last developers at least 100 years, providing a sustainable low-carbon alternative for the foreseeable future.

Pozzolan projects across Canada have received backing from the Federal Government in recent years. In 2022, the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency made a $1.2 million contribution to cover geological and environmental surveys.  

Project developments are still in the planning stage, with environmental and community feedback considered at every turn.

Carrier and the Carboniq team are optimistic that work can begin as soon as all necessary requirements are met, with the plan to produce a quality low-carbon concrete alternative that can be used worldwide.

Recently, these innovators converged in Paris to vie for the title of cleantech start-up champion at Hello Tomorrow’s Global Summit, with a €100,000 ($163,000aud) prize at stake.

ecoLocked, a company spearheaded by Steff Gerhart, is on a mission to revolutionise the construction industry by transforming buildings into carbon sinks. ecoLocked offers concrete additives infused with biochar, a carbon-rich material derived from biomass subjected to low-oxygen conditions.

This innovative approach not only enhances the structural integrity of concrete but also has the potential to sequester approximately 4 billion metric tons of CO2 annually.

With a lab established in Berlin in 2022, ecoLocked is poised to lead the charge towards a greener future, having already introduced their first product for non-structural concrete applications.

Instead of attempting to counterbalance the CO2 emissions associated with concrete, other start-ups at the Paris gathering aim to diminish the volume of concrete required in structures by bolstering its strength.

Additionally, some start-ups aim to substitute cement, the binding agent in concrete, with alternatives that boast lower carbon footprints.

In an effort to minimise the concrete demand for any given structure, French start-up Blackleaf has engineered a graphene substance.

When incorporated into concrete at concentrations ranging from 0.02% to 0.04%, this material boosts its compressive strength by over 10% and bending strength by more than 20%.

“This enables the use of less concrete for the same application,” said Camila Rivera Cárcamo, a business development manager at Blackleaf.

ParaStruct, an Austrian startup, is pioneering a cement-free approach to reduce concrete's carbon footprint. Their algorithm selects low-cost, low-carbon raw materials, targeting local mineral and biogenic waste.

They're collaborating with Voxeljet, a German 3D-printing firm, to test various formulations, including wood-based compounds.

ParaStruct's wood-infused concrete isn't intended for structural applications.

However, US start-up Ultra High Materials (UHM) asserts that their geopolymer binder can fully substitute Portland cement without any such constraints.

“It reduces the embodied CO2 by 80–90%,” CEO Jonathan Cool said in his pitch to judges at the Paris event. “It also performs much better. It’s stronger, faster to strength, much more durable—and we can make this at up to 65% lower cost when compared to the raw material cost of Portland cement.”

Depending on the local availability of materials, UHM’s binder consists of components such as blast furnace slag, fly ash, fumed silica, and metakaolin, a clay derivative.

Mimicrete, a spin-out from Cambridge University, is developing self-healing concrete. Modeled after the human body, this technology involves 3D-printing concrete with a vascular system to repair cracks automatically.

Mimicrete’s approach costs 20% more up front but promises a 40–70% reduction in the lifetime cost of a concrete structure by doubling its life-span and avoiding maintenance costs.

The European construction firm Vinci was at the Paris event to share its strategy for cutting its worldwide carbon emissions by 40% by 2030.

The company’s approach is to reduce carbon emissions by substituting standard cement clinker with a clinker generated in steel mill blast furnaces or with fly ash from coal-fired power plants.

Vinci is already using its low-carbon cement in projects such as the construction of the athlete’s village for this summer’s Olympic Games in Paris.

Photio, a Chilean start-up pioneering passive cooling solutions using nanomaterial-based coatings won Hello Tomorrow’s Sustainable Construction & Infrastructure challenge.

The grand winner across all segments and the recipient of the €100,000 prize was Tozero, the German developer of a hydrometallurgical process for recycling lithium-ion batteries.

The growing interest in the circular economy has led to the emergence of new markets.

Covalent Lithium, in collaboration with Green Deal Alliance (GDA) and Australasian Pozzolan Association (APozA), attended Circular Economy Summit 2024 in Sydney on 28th and 29th February to engage with sustainability, circular economy, procurement and government professionals from multiple industries to discuss around circularity and the journey towards net zero.

A panel discussion, which included Mauricio Olivares – GM technical of Covalent Lithium, Antony Missikos – Chair of Green Deal Alliance, and Craig Heidrich – CEO of Australasian Pozzolan Association shared their journeys on the subject: “The Lithium industry and circular economy – unlocking the potential for Australia’s construction market”.

Left to Right: Craig Heidrich, Mauricio Olivares, Antony Missikos, Anushree Malaviya (panel moderator)

Highlights

• Showcasing the significance of the Lithium sector and emerging Lithium by-product as readily available sustainable quality resources.
• Sharing the current approaches to certify Lithium by-products for suitable applications and progress in standard development to facilitate market adoption.
• Rebrand of Lithium by-product by its categories/applications as:
• Manufactured sand
• Manufactured pozzolan
• Emphasising the need for collaboration to achieve product awareness and market acceptance.

Key Outcomes

• Audience feedback was very positive: speakers were engaging, enjoyed the honesty of pains of product creation/ product adoption, Product Stewardship Scheme and new standards development.
• East coast are not fully aware of the WA lithium industry and its significance. Not aware this product exists and can be used as a replacement to sand and currently used cement materials.
• Industry engagement is pivotal for product adoption.

The summit and panel discussion offered excellent chances to establish connections with key stakeholders, including the EPA, local and state government agencies, the Green Building Council, Sustainability Victoria, and technology firms specialising in circularity.

It was evident that the east coast, where many policy-makers and construction company headquarters are located, lacks awareness of the significance of the WA Lithium industry and its by-products.

It's crucial that the industry collaborates to embrace these products, offer incentives for their adoption, and actively support one another in the decarbonisation of Australia's construction industry and built environment through mutually beneficial strategies.

Highlights

• Results confirm that a high reactivity metakaolin (HRM) can be produced from a range of the Company’s Toondoon kaolin profiles.
• Hight reactivity metakaolin produced exceeds Australian Standard & ASTM International Standard for a manufactured pozzolan.
• High kaolinite content of Toondoon’s raw ore, of between 80-90%, underpins a simple flowsheet and potential competitive advantage due to the limited beneficiation required to produce a high reactivity metakaolin.
• Metakaolin is in demand as a supplementary cementitious material (SCM) that could advance low carbon cement and concrete by partially substituting clinker in Portland cement – this provides a considerably large market opportunity.
• Production and use of cement accounts for approximately 8% of worldwide carbon dioxide emissions.
• Use of SCM’s is the most viable alternative to mitigate carbon dioxide emissions of the cement and concrete industries in the short term, and metakaolin is increasingly regarded as the most promising pozzolanic material for the future.
• -Work is now underway on a test pit in Toondoon with the aim to stockpile roughly 50 tonnes of high-grade raw kaolin, to produce larger quantities of metakaolin.

Zeotech Chief Executive Officer, Scott Burkhart commented:

“The program with CQUniversity has delivered some very promising results that further highlight the superiority of the Company’s Toondoon kaolin and the potential to produce a high reactivity metakaolin product that could be used as a SCM to support production of low carbon cement and concrete.”

“The use of HRM as an SCM unlocks a considerable commercial opportunity for the Company and we will continue to advance discussions with industry and explore commercial pathways that could catalyse metakaolin production in Australia as an SCM for concrete and future zeolite manufacturing.”

To read the full media release click below:

ZEOTECH METAKAOLIN MEDIA RELEASE

This $20.5 million investment will bolster the supply chain for residential, commercial, and industrial projects, focusing on sustainable building practices.

The new storage facility will house and distribute Holcim’s innovative ‘ECOPlanet’ cement, which uses natural pozzolans instead of traditional Portland cement to lower carbon emissions.

Construction of the dome began in 2021, boasting a 50,000-ton storage capacity.

The development of this new site comes after the booming construction activity in the local area.

Patrick J. Cleary, Senior Vice President of Cement Sales at Holcim US was stated that the region was “experiencing an influx of construction projects, with new infrastructure being introduced every day.”

The $20.5 million investment in the Fremont storage dome will help improve the availability of sustainable cement option, support local economies, and drive forward the construction industry’s sustainability agenda.

The MoU with Protekta, a frontrunner in animal nutrition innovation, lays the groundwork for discussions leading to a potential offtake agreement for manufactured zeolites.

Zeotech has filed patent applications and has developed in-house IP, to produce manufactured zeolites from Kaolin, Fly Ash and Lithium By-product, and is actively continuing its research and development in these areas.

Demonstrating promising results, its products have proven effective in curbing landfill methane emissions, highlighting the potential environmental advantages.

This partnership stems from Zeotech's provision of product samples to Protekta in December 2022 for testing and analysis.

Now, this collaboration advances to the supply of a larger sample for additional commercial validation.

Zeotech's focus on manufacturing zeolites from by-products not only positions it as an innovator in mineral processing technology but also aligns with sustainable practices by utilising waste materials effectively.

The partnership between Zeotech and Protekta aims to transform animal nutrition by incorporating manufactured zeolite into products, potentially preventing diseases like subclinical hypocalcaemia in cows.

This collaboration highlights the potential of mineral processing technology and sustainable practices, enabling Zeotech's expansion into North America and underlining the critical role of strategic partnerships in technology and sustainability.

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Read Zeotech's Media Release HERE

Via Alumtek Minerals

Alumtek Minerals (AM), has recently completed Research and Development on bauxite residue waste, commonly known as ‘red mud’. As well as developing a process to extract the critical minerals vanadium, titanium and gallium, AM’s process also extracts aluminium hydroxide and a high purity iron oxide.

Most notably, AM has developed a Supplementary Cementitious Material (SCM) meeting the stringent Australian Standard AS3582.4.

This milestone comes as a result of a CRCP grant (Cooperative Research Centres Project), showcasing the company's commitment to innovation and sustainability.

Red mud is an alkaline byproduct of the alumina industry and is usually stored in tailing dams. In cement production, it requires less processing than clinker production, leading to a number of key benefits for miners and cement manufacturers.

Collaborating closely with Cement Australia over the past two years, AM has perfected the blend of kaolin and red mud, resulting in an SCM with a strength index of 108%, compared to AS3582.4 minimum requirement of 85%. AM’s process also effectively removes the alkalinity and chloride impurities from the red mud.

AM's SCM not only serves as a viable replacement for fly ash and slag but also offers a significant environmental advantage. When used to replace a portion of the clinker in cement production, AM's SCM has the potential to reduce CO2 emissions substantially.

The environmental benefits of AM's SCM are multifaceted:

1. Reduction in CO2 Emissions: Utilizing red mud, which requires less processing compared to clinker, significantly reduces the total CO2 emissions from the cement manufacturing process.

2. Conservation of Resources: By incorporating a by-product from other industrial processes, the cement industry can lessen its demand for virgin raw materials, contributing to the conservation of natural resources.

3. Waste Diversion: By utilising red mud - an industrial waste - AM’s SCM diverts waste from landfills, mitigating the environmental impact associated with waste disposal.

4. Energy Efficiency: The production of AM's SCM is more energy-efficient than traditional clinker production, resulting in energy savings and reduced greenhouse gas emissions.

AM's SCM emerges as a sustainable local alternative, offering Australian cement and concrete companies an opportunity to reduce CO2 emissions, decrease imports, and support local production.

Alumtek Minerals is now actively seeking joint venture partners to propel this innovative solution to the next level, demonstrating its commitment to driving sustainable practices within the cement industry.

____

For partnership opportunities, please contact:

Cherrell Picton

Business Manager

Ph: +61 (0) 477732995 

Em: cherrell@alumtekminerals.com

The two-day event beginning on the 28th February at Radisson Blu Plaza Hotel is set to dissect and discuss all things circular economy, from both a government and business perspective.

Featuring C-suite executives, sustainability professionals, government leaders, and renowned circular economy experts, this summit will cover key aspects of circularity that all organisation needs to address.

Covalent Lithium will be holding a Panel Discussion at 2:00pm on the opening day, focusing on ‘The Lithium industry and circular economy – unlocking the potential for Australia’s construction market’.

The discussion involves members from Covalent Lithium, Green Deal Alliance, and our very own Australia Pozzolan Association CEO, Craig Heidrich, who have collaborated to explore opportunities to re-sell by-products of the Lithium refining process, contributing to circularity.

Panel Discussion Members

It has become the first significant road project in Victoria to incorporate recycled content in every layer of the road pavement, with recycled materials constituting over 66% of the road's composition.

The new upgrade widened 5.7 kilometres of freeway; adding additional lanes, ramps, collector distributors and a smart freeway system – all in and around live traffic flows.

Working with suppliers to develop a 100% recycled stabilised glass-sand mix, resulted in more than 22 million glass bottles being used in the base course of the road.

Overall, the Victorian Infrastructure team reduced greenhouse gas emissions by over 40%, avoiding 18,530 Tons of carbon dioxide emissions.

The ground glass pozzolan was used in conjunction with a number of other waste materials, including 51,000 tons of recycled pavement materials, 800,000 toner cartridges, and 820 passenger car tyres.

Precast barriers across the project also contained 50% supplementary cementitious materials (SCM), a state first initiative in Victoria.

The M80 upgrade has already received nationally recognised awards, being named one of the Concrete Institute of Australia’s 2023 Technology & Innovation winners, along with taking out the top prize at the 2023 Australian Construction Achievement Award (ACAA).

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Find out more HERE

Researchers at the National Institute of Technology in India focused on evaluating the effects of these materials on the fresh and hardened properties of concrete.

MK, a pozzolanic material, and QD, a fine aggregate by-product, emerge as potentially sustainable options to enhance concrete performance and lessen environmental impact.

The inclusion of varying percentages of MK contributes to an enhanced pozzolanic reaction, leading to improved strength development.

Additionally, the study evaluates the optimal dosage of MK, when combined with QD, and examines the collaborative impact on mechanical properties such as compressive, flexural, and split tensile strength in M20-grade concrete.

The findings showcase the impact of metakaolin and quarry dust on the comprehensive performance of blended concrete. Through cost analysis, it was demonstrated that the optimal mix has the potential to decrease the overall material cost for M20-grade concrete by 7%–8%.

Additionally, energy analysis revealed a 7%–8% reduction in energy consumption with the optimal mix.

The effective application is assessed using the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) method to identify the optimal solution among the chosen criteria. As per the AHP analysis, the most effective combination of MK and quarry dust is determined to be 12% and 16%, respectively.

This combination outperforms all other trial mixes in the study, and shows the potential uses of both metakaolin and quarry dust in the concrete production process.

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Article: Parmar, N.R., Salla, S.R., Khungar, H.P. and Kondraivendhan, B. (2024), "Characterizing the behaviour of blended concrete incorporating metakaolin and quarry dust: an experimental investigation", World Journal of Engineering, Vol. ahead-of-print No. ahead-of-print.

Researchers have conducted a recent study where glass powder pozzolan and municipal incinerated bottom ash (MIBA) were introduced to concrete mixes to create paving blocks, with the hopes of developing an environmentally friendly product that reduces carbon emissions and waste materials on the Island.

15 different mixes were sampled, using a 1:3 cement to aggregate ratio and a 0.5 water-to-cement ratio. Glass powder pozzolan was used to substitute cement and 0, 10 & 20% weight. MIBA was used as an aggregate substitute at 0, 10, 20, 30, & 40% volumes.

Two groups were formed, with one being cured with water for 28 days, and the other for 90 days.

After 28 days of curing, BA10 (Municipal Incinerated Bottom Ash, 10%) and BA20 (MIBA, 20%) had compressive strengths of 42.28 and 40.92 MPa, higher than the standard for interlocking concrete block (40MPa) according to TIS 827-2531.

After 90 days, GP10BA10 (Glass Powder, 10% - Municipal Incinerated Bottom Ash, 10%), BA10, GP10, GP10BA20, GP20, BA20, & BA30 had compressive strengths of 47.62, 43.63, 43.51, 43.48, 42.73, 42.40, and 40.40 MPa respectively, which also meets the TIS standards.

See graph below.

Comparative compressive strength graph of mortar samples cured for 28 & 90 days.

The best ratio of interlocking paving blocks in terms of mechanical performance was found to be glass powder 10% for cement substitution and municipal incinerated bottom ash 10% for sand substitution.

The glass powder was sourced from a waste recycling facility by crushing glass waste using a ball mill and then sieved to obtain desired fineness. MIBA was obtained from the incinerator on the Island in the Chonburi province of Thailand which was a mixture of fly ash and bottom ash.

Substituting these waste materials will allow for a more environmentally friendly product, as well as reducing the amount of waste material that is found on Si Chang Island, giving locals, and travelling tourists a greater experience when visiting.

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View the full report HERE

Article: Kumpueng, P., Phutthimethakul, L. & Supakata, N. Production of Cement mortars from glass powder and municipal incinerated bottom ash. Sci Rep 14, 1569 (2024).

Contributing approximately 20 percent of the state's greenhouse gas emissions, transportation stands as the fastest-growing contributor to Australia's emissions.

The Net Zero and Climate Change Policy of Transport for NSW outlines ambitious goals for decarbonisation and climate action, aiming to achieve net zero emissions across the entire transport sector in New South Wales by the year 2050.

In line with Australia's commitments to the 2016 Paris Agreement, these targets acknowledge the industry's challenges and emphasise the imperative need for urgent action.

Key targets include:

• 100 per cent renewable energy for operational electricity for the rail, light rail and metro networks by 2025 (already around 98 per cent complete)
• 100 per cent of Transport’s work vehicle fleet transitioning to all-electric by 2030
• Net Zero in Transport sector emissions by 2050
• Net negative transport sector emissions by 2060

Transport for NSW will collaborate with National Highways, the organisation overseeing the management of the UK's motorways and major roads and recognised as a global leader in the decarbonisation of transport infrastructure.

This comes after a year of collaboration on ‘The Future of Carbon Accounting in Infrastructure Contracts’, with the MOU including two initial deliverables.

The first MOU deliverable will develop integrated carbon cost management processes and technology that will:

• clearly define ‘baseline carbon’ with cost across the project portfolio.
• allow contractors to produce quantified decarbonisation plans analogous to cost plans.
• provide a consistent carbon baseline across complex portfolios – solving one of the largest decarbonisation challenges our industry faces.

The latter MOU deliverable focuses on the Digital Engineering Framework to help partners automate workflows on decarbonisation, driving costs and resource efficiencies.

Transport for NSW will monitor progress and produce annual reports on the agency’s carbon footprint.

Transport Minister Jo Haylen said “Australian Governments and industry are beginning to make serious moves to greener infrastructure, and I’m pleased that Transport for NSW has been taking a leading role in this important work.”

Infrastructure Sustainability Council CEO Ainsley Simpson was quoted: “With around 70 per cent of Australia’s emissions enabled by infrastructure, sustainability is more important than ever. That's why we strongly endorse the continued positive measures the NSW Government is undertaking in this field.”

“The targets set out are challenging but important, and the Memorandum of Understanding with National Highways means we have two global leaders collaborating to accelerate to net zero.”

Zeolite is a naturally occurring non-carbonate rock, primarily made of silicon and aluminium, that produces almost no carbon dioxide during the manufacturing process.

The 20-ton pour in Seattle, Washington last month substituted Ordinary Portland Cement with zeolite as the binder.

Ph.D., Founder, and President of C-Crete Technologies Rouzbeh Savary believed thus is an important step in the quest to “revolutionise” the construction industry.

“This landmark use of the product epitomizes C-Crete's commitment to reshaping the industry through environmentally conscious innovations. By tapping into various natural rocks like zeolite, and converting them into cementitious binders, we're forging a path toward truly sustainable infrastructure."

C-Crete's zeolite-based concrete has more than 5,000 psi in compressive strength.

It flows and pumps like conventional concrete, and meets the industry standards set by ASTM International for mechanical and durability properties, such as expansion and freeze-thaw resistance.

The zeolite rock for the project was sourced from Zeolite Composites LLC.

According to a report from the New South Wales Protection Authority, construction, and demolition waste accounts for the largest proportion of waste generated, with 12.5 million tonnes in 2019-2020.

With an increased focus on creating a circular economy, the construction sector also accounts for the highest proportion of waste recycled, with 9.6 million tonnes.

Andre Gobett, the General Manager & Director for Recycling at Boral, recently provided an insight into how Boral is contributing to driving a sustainable and circular economy.

“Our CMS is one plank in our program of works to develop the circular economy in Australia and complements our work to use industrial waste by-products, such as recycled asphalt pavement, slag and fly-ash to produce lower carbon cement and concrete products, and our work to use waste-derived alternative fuels to replace fossil fuels in our manufacturing kilns,” Gobett said.

Over 2 million tonnes of construction and demolition materials, such as concrete, excavation-sand, sandstone, Recycled Asphalt Pavement (RAP,) and brick, has been recycled across the 14 facilities around the country.

“Over 95% of all waste received through our recycling network is recycled and repurposed into materials that can be used in the construction industry.”

Boral has several recycled products that lower environmental impacts, such as ‘High Grade Compaction Sands’, ‘Innovo’ asphalt system, and ‘Envir-O-agg’ glass sand.

“Our lower carbon Innovo system aims to improve sustainable outcomes by incorporating everyday waste by-products, such as glass, plastic, tyres, old road pavement, and slag, and repurposing them into roads around the country. Our Envir-O-agg glass sand is made of clean, washed and crushed recycled glass, blended with natural or recycled materials to provide a more environmentally sustainable product that can be used across a range of applications” stated Gobett.

Using these lower-carbon alternatives, accompanied with the introduction of the new end-to-end Circular Materials Solution will ultimately lead to a reduction in CO2 across the entire construction and demolition sector.

Recently, one waste product that has shown promise is foundry sand.

Foundry sand is a high-quality silica sand, used traditionally in the metal casting process, and is now being used to create ‘green concrete’.

The advantage of using a pozzolan such as foundry sand is that it can enhance the properties of concrete, improving its durability, strength, and resistance to environmental factors.

The challenge facing developers is in the transformation process, with innovation required to turn this casting agent into a pozzolanic material.

The recent developments in milling technology, have allowed foundry sand to be micronised, making it a suitable additive for concrete mixtures.

Repurposing this foundry sand considerably reduces the need for landfill disposal, assisting in effective waste management and simultaneously reducing the carbon footprint associated with the transport and landfilling processes.

Economically, using foundry sand can substantially diminish the costs of concrete production.

As it is readily available as a by-product, foundry sand can be a more cost-effective alternative compared to conventional pozzolans.

Incorporating this pozzolan can boost the mechanical properties of the mixture, resulting in concrete with enhanced compressive strength, superior workability, and heightened resistance to environmental adversities.

Foundry sand also considerably reduces the CO2 emissions compared to ordinary Portland cement mix.

The growing potential for foundry sand will create new avenues for sustainable construction.

Ensuring rigorous research and the correct processing techniques are carried out, this waste material can contribute to the new developments in concrete and play a greater part in the circular economy.

The protocol establishes a first-of-its-kind pathway to generate voluntary carbon credits from the production of novel and underutilised alternative cementitious materials (ACMs) and supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs).

Funds generated by these credits will be used to incentivise the production and scaled use of innovation, less carbon-intensive materials to meet growing demand, reduce emissions and help enable exponential positive change.

This initiative has been in the pipeline for more than 18 months, with ClimeCo working closely with Eco Material Technologies and the Portland Cement Association, to create, seek comment and refine this important effort.

This new protocol was created to address the pressing emission crisis in the cement industry.

The Global Cement and Concrete Association has stated that the sector can only scale low-carbon cement to the degree required to meet targets through additional funding.

Allowing companies to generate voluntary carbon credits and direct much-needed funds to the production of additional cementitious materials that can fill the worsening supply void and create the scale necessary to displace carbon-intensive cement manufacturing is what this new protocol aims to achieve.

To earn credits, manufacturers must produce usable materials that are widely recognized as beyond business-as-usual and surpass regulatory requirements.

Eligible components include natural pozzolans such as harvested and beneficiated coal ash.

“While demand for cement has never been higher, it remains an exceptionally difficult-to-abate industry,” said ClimeCo President and CEO Bill Flederbach.

“This new protocol demonstrates the power of credible, validated and science-based voluntary carbon credits in accelerating the pace and adoption of environmental reforms.

It also confirms ClimeCo’s belief that by engaging the right partners and taking a holistic approach, every industry and every company, even those facing the biggest challenges, can make a huge difference.”

“Time is of the essence, and ClimeCo is proud to lead the way toward a brighter future.”

The new structure that is located on Nuns’ Island outside of Montreal replaces a two-lane bridge constructed in the 1960’s.

It is estimated that the lifespan of this new structure will be at least 125 years.

Recycled glass converted to ground glass pozzolan was included in the aggregate, comprising about ten per cent of the mix.

This both reduces the total CO2 emissions necessary for the bridge's construction and creates a "strengthening of the mechanical properties of concrete.”

This strengthening occurs because of how the cement in the aggregate reacts with the GGP, forming calcium silica hydrate.

More than 40,000kg of glass - the equivalent of around 70,000 bottles of wine, went into the mixture.

When ground into a fine particle powder and introduced in concrete, GGP reduces the permeability and increases durability," said the studio, who noted that this method has been approved by the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM).

Besides the strength of the cement, the architects also said that the mixture could help with the resistance of the material to the harsh climatic conditions in Montreal.

Increasing the awareness and usage around GGP’s is essential world-wide if organisations and businesses are serious about reaching their Net-Zero goals by 2050. Introducing GGP’s such as recycled glass can drastically reduce the CO2 emissions that are attached when creating new projects & infrastructure.

Sponsored by the Australasian Pozzolan Association , the Concrete Institute of Australia presents a National Roadshow on Lower Carbon Alternative Binder Concrete. This event will feature a presentation from APozA CEO Craig Heidrich and Dr. Warren South, who will shed light on the latest developments in the realm of sustainable concrete solutions at the Lavender Bay NSW event. 

Concrete and cement production contribute significantly to global CO2 emissions. We all understand the environmental challenges, but it's time to embrace the opportunities for change, so join us in exploring the potential of low-carbon alternative binders, and how they can reshape the concrete industry.

The Roadshow will also introduce Standards Australia SA TS 199:2023, focusing on the "Design of geopolymer and alkali activated binder concrete." Learn about the structural aspects, materials, and durability requirements outlined in this ground-breaking publication. Our expert speakers, Professor Stephen Foster (UNSW) and Dr. James Aldred (Concrete Future), have been at the forefront of this field and have significantly contributed to this new document.

Key Presentations Include:
1. Design Procedures and Structural Considerations by Professor Stephen Foster:

• Explore the design of geopolymer or alkali activated binder concrete structures in accordance with SA TS 199:2023.

• Understand the predictions for deformation due to shrinkage and creep in these alternative binder concretes.

2. Material Properties of Geopolymer or Alkali Activated Binder Concrete by Dr. James Aldred:

• Discover the mechanical and durability properties of GPC and AABC.

• Learn about the recommended performance requirements for their use in building structures.

3. Updates in Supplementary Cementitious Materials (SCM) Availability and Use in Australia by Craig Heidrich and Dr. Warren South:

• Gain insights into the latest developments in the use of Supplementary Cementitious Materials (SCM) to enhance concrete performance.

• Understand how SCM can reduce the carbon footprint of concrete and contribute to sustainability goals.

Don't miss this opportunity to stay at the forefront of sustainable concrete solutions. Join us in shaping the future of the concrete industry and reducing its environmental impact. 

Let's work together to make a positive change for our environment and our industry's future! 

To learn more regarding this event, click here

It is with great pride that the APozA present this plaque, mounted in a concrete cylinder that has been crafted implementing Delithiated Beta Spodumene (DBS) as a supplementary Cementitious Material (SCM) to Joseph for this outstanding leadership within our association.

As the Chair of APozA, Joseph has been an integral figure in leading our association through many critical periods. In particular, working in conjunction with members, cement & concrete professionals along with accredited laboratories to develop a new Australian Standard AS3582.4 for manufactured SCM’s !

This new Standard,  AS3582.4 Supplementary Cementitious Materials Part 4: Pozzolans – Manufactured, will be complimentary to the existing series AS 3582 Part 1: Fly ash, Part 2: Slag—Ground granulated blast-furnace and Part 3: Amorphous silica.  The Standard uses a similar structure.

To learn more regarding this Standard, click here 

The Australasian Pozzolan Association would once again like to thank Joseph for his outstanding leadership and contribution to the association ! 

Thank you Joseph !