CRH is partnering with Material Evolution, a leader in advanced materials science to pilot its alkali fusion breakthrough technology in cement production.
At the core of this innovation is MevoCem – a next-generation cement technology created through a unique mechano-chemical process. Unlike traditional methods, this approach requires no heat as part of the cement production process. Instead, it uses alkali fusion to activate non-reactive and less-reactive materials such as various industrial byproducts. With the addition of water, these materials behave like traditional cement.
This innovation has the potential to offer a range of benefits for the cement industry:
What’s more, by eliminating heat, the process reduces the production of carbon emissions by up to 85% compared to traditional Portland cement.
Material Evolution is partnering with Tarmac, A CRH Company, to pilot the technology. The project aims to demonstrate MevoCem’s performance under a new set of performance-based guidelines developed by the British Standards Institution with the objective of making it simpler to use advanced cement technologies like MevoCem in everyday construction projects.
The pilot will also involve CRH lab-based research to quantify the reactivity benefits of alkali fusion.
This partnership follows Material Evolution’s selection as a winner in the Sustainable Materials Accelerator Program, led by CRH Ventures, CRH’s venture capital arm, the aim of which was to identify and support breakthrough innovations in construction materials. It is one of many CRH pilots and programs ongoing across our operations that aim to progress the development of advanced cement technologies.
