The quest for low greenhouse-gas concrete construction is moving ahead on two more fronts in the U.K. as researchers scale up trials for producing emission-free Cambridge Electric Cement from steel recycling. At the same time, a highway scheme has demonstrated big CO2 reductions by viably combining alkali-activated cementitious material with basalt rebar.
Due to run until August 2024 with nearly $8 million in government funding, the Cambridge Electric Cement (CEC) trials led by the nonprofit Materials Processing Institute aim to perfect processes on a small scale before beginning industrial production at the electric arc furnace of CELSA Steel U.K. in Cardiff. The trial team includes representatives from a wide supply chain—from the design firm Atkins to materials producer Tarmac Group.