Along with six other companies our Skanska Costain STRABAG joint Venture (SCS JV) working on HS2 London Tunnels has successfully won funding from Innovate UK, to help accelerate the decarbonisation of the UK concrete industry.
The funding will be used by the SCS JV team to continue developing a replacement for carbon intensive Portland Cement with repurposed London Clay.
The team is working together with customer HS2, technical lead Arup, concrete supplier Tarmac, the University of Leeds and Sika UK along with Expedition Engineering and the Mineral Product Association (MPA). By calcinating (heating to activate) London Clay that is excavated from the tunnel activities the team is using it as a replacement for Portland Cement in concrete for the HS2 permanent works.
Portland Cement manufacturing requires large amounts of energy and emits high levels of CO2. Data from the original trial (REAL Initiative), funded by HS2, has shown that calcined London Clay excavated from tunnels and other construction activities could be a viable alternative to cement in concrete.
Results from the preliminary trial were very promising – along with considerable carbon reduction figures, tens of millions of pounds could potentially be saved on a project similar in size to HS2. However, more data and research is needed. The funding will help the team scale up production and take the trial to the next level.