Alternative Irish-based materials suitable as cementitious binders

This project is investigating the availability of suitable materials to replace cement in Ireland. These new Supplemental Cementitious Materials (SCMs) aim to reduce the clinker factor in cement-based construction materials, significantly lowering embodied carbon.

In 2023, the government’s Cement and Concrete Decarbonisation Working Group highlighted the urgent need to explore alternative cement materials for developing low carbon concrete mixes in the medium to long term. Ireland currently relies on Ground Granulated Blast Furnace Slag (GGBS) for low carbon concrete, a finite resource that is becoming scarce.

The project comprises three main parts:

• Reviewing potential SCM resources and mapping their volume and availability across the entire island.

• Conducting a small-scale laboratory study to observe how the SCMs perform during hydration and within concrete. Thermodynamic models will use this data to predict the behavior of these new cements over time and in harsh environments.

• Developing a high-level roadmap for further research and the approval process for these SCMs.

Collaboration with industry partners fosters innovation to produce a new, economically viable, and scalable material for effective decarbonization. This will position the Irish cement sector for value-added exports and increased competitiveness.