Concrete has been successfully made with recycled concrete aggregates that were recarbonated via carbon capture technology in an Australian trial.
The trial, a first for this country, saw recycled concrete aggregates from a NSW concrete recycling facility used as feedstock to capture and permanently store CO₂ from the flue gas diverted from a cement works into a recently commissioned recarbonation-based carbon capture and storage (CCS) pilot plant.
The recarbonated recycled aggregates from the process were then used to partially replace natural coarse aggregates in a low carbon concrete mix.
Behind the project was construction materials company, Boral, whose facilities include concrete batching operations, construction materials recycling and quarries.
The project involved replacing 50% of the natural coarse aggregates in Boral’s low-carbon Envisia concrete with recarbonated recycled aggregates.
Dr Ali Nezhad, Head of Sustainability and Innovation at Boral said, the successful trial offers the potential for a further reduction in the embodied carbon of concrete by replacing natural aggregates. Company CEO Vik Bansal believes recarbonation will play an important role in decarbonising the concrete and cement industries.
The concrete field trial was conducted at its Maldon cement manufacturing facility. Construction of the CCS pilot plant and the trial were jointly funded by the Australian Government’s Carbon Capture, Use and Storage (CCUS) Development Fund, and Boral.
About the author
Desi Corbett
Desi is the Editor of Concrete in Australia, at the helm since December 2013, and our weekly news writer since 2016. Focused on concrete and construction for more than 11 years, her expertise in this field forms part of a journalism career spanning three decades. To get in touch please email desi@corbettcomms.com