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| Reference Number | UKRI641 | |
| Title | PRICE-SCM: Powder amoRphisation usIng shoCk wavEs to produce Supplementary Cementitious Materials | |
| Status | Started | |
| Energy Categories | Energy Efficiency (Residential and commercial) 50%; Energy Efficiency (Industry) 50%; |
|
| Research Types | Basic and strategic applied research 100% | |
| Science and Technology Fields | PHYSICAL SCIENCES AND MATHEMATICS (Physics) 20%; PHYSICAL SCIENCES AND MATHEMATICS (Metallurgy and Materials) 50%; ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY (Architecture and the Built Environment) 30%; |
|
| UKERC Cross Cutting Characterisation | Not Cross-cutting 100% | |
| Principal Investigator |
Raffaele Vinai University of Exeter |
|
| Award Type | Standard | |
| Funding Source | EPSRC | |
| Start Date | 01 September 2025 | |
| End Date | 01 September 2027 | |
| Duration | 24 months | |
| Total Grant Value | £259,293 | |
| Industrial Sectors | Unknown | |
| Region | South West | |
| Programme | NC : Engineering | |
| Investigators | Principal Investigator | Raffaele Vinai , University of Exeter |
| Other Investigator | Rajeev Pattathil , STFC - Laboratories |
|
| Web Site | ||
| Objectives | ||
| Abstract | One of the main challenges in delivering the decarbonisation of the built environment is represented by the high embodied carbon of concrete, the main used construction material. Due to the thermochemical processes involved in the preparation of Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC), the most common type of cement used in the sector, concrete has an average embodied carbon of about 300 kgCO2/m3, out of which more than 95% attributable to OPC, whose production is responsible for ~8% of global CO2 emissions. Globally, about 12-14 billion m3 of concrete are produced annually, using about 4.2 billion tonnes of ordinary Portland cement (OPC), whilst its consumption in the UK is about 15Mt/year. A common decarbonation strategy consists of partial substitution of OPC with supplementary cementitious materials (SCM), whose chemical composition (presence of Ca, Si, and Al) and physical structure (mainly amorphous) support the reactions involved in the cement hardening. The UK consumption of SCM is about 4Mt/year. Commonly used SCM are by-products from other industrial processes, mainly slag from steel production (ggbs) or ash from hard coal combustion in power station (fly ash). Due to shifts from current steel and electricity productions, ggbs and fly ash are becoming scarce. Calcined clays (mainly metakaolin) have attracted growing attention recently. However, not every clay is suitable for calcination, neither are large volumes of mineral waste with suitable chemical composition (e.g. construction and demolition waste, dredged material, waste soil or rock), but lacking amorphous structure. The application of shockwaves has been proved to modify the lattice structure of inorganic silicates, leading to amorphous conditions. However, this approach has never been explored to produce SCM. Shockwave generation and application can be obtained with different methods. These techniques are usually outside the civil engineering expertise, where shockwaves are investigated only in relation with explosive blasting (either for intended purposes such as excavation or demolition, or for passive protection against explosions), or earthquakes. The investigation of shockwave generation and propagation is instead carried out in aerodynamics, or matter studies in physics. One of the methods for shockwave generation mentioned in the literature refers to the application of short- and ultra-short-pulse laser. The collaboration between the applicant and the Central Laser Facility team represents therefore an extraordinary opportunity to create a fruitful, novel, and complementary partnership across two relatively far fields or research. PRICE-SCM will be the very first investigation on novel and transformative approaches aiming to produce SCM by application of shock waves on geological materials or industrial by-products, addressing the formidable challenge of unlocking the potential of large volumes of SCM diverted from landfill and made available as SCM, significantly impacting the carbon emissions of concrete and construction industry. The project objectives are: (i) to determine the effects of shock waves on the physical structure of powders such as clays or waste from industry, clarifying the optimum conditions to achieve a low-carbon and low-energy transition from crystalline to amorphous materials; (ii) to prove and quantify the reactivity performances of processed materials in the manufacture of cementitious blends by partial to total substitution of traditional binders such as Portland cement or fly ash and slag; and (iii) to determine the embodied carbon of the novel SCM and the energy use for their production, considering suitable shockwave generation and application methods | |
| Data | No related datasets |
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| Projects | No related projects |
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| Publications | No related publications |
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| Added to Database | 29/10/25 | |
