Boral has confirmed a milestone achievement in producing concrete with recycled concrete aggregates via an innovative carbon capture approach.
Boral has said the trial is the “first of its kind” in Australia. The intensive trial used recycled concrete aggregates from its Widemere recycling facility as feedstock to capture and permanently store CO2 from the flue gas diverted from Berrima Cement Works’ operations into its recently commissioned recarbonation-based carbon capture and storage (CCS) pilot plant.
From there, the recarbonated recycled aggregates were used as a partial replacement for natural coarse aggregates in a low-carbon concrete mix. According to Boral, it replaced half of the natural coarse aggregates in Boral’s low-carbon Envisia concrete.
“We’re proud to lead the development of utilisation pathways for recarbonated concrete aggregates,” Boral head of sustainability and innovation Dr Ali Nezhad said.
“Its successful use not only enhances the viability of recarbonation-based carbon capture technology but also offers the potential for a further reduction in the embodied carbon of concrete by replacing natural aggregates.
“The success of our carbon capture pilot plant at Berrima further validates the potential of recarbonation and underscores the importance of its broader recognition.”
Boral carried out a concrete field trial at its Maldon cement manufacturing facility. The trial was supported by funding from Boral and the Federal Government’s Carbon Capture, Use and Storage (CCUS) Development Fund.
Further to this achievement, Boral is also trialling recarbonation-based carbon capture technology at its Berrima cement plant. The recarbonation-based carbon capture technology at Berrima accelerates the natural carbonation of recycled aggregates by exposing them to controlled process conditions.
“We are committed to a lower-carbon future, and we believe recarbonation will play an important role in decarbonising the cement and concrete industry,” Boral chief executive officer and managing director Vik Bansal said.
“The successful accelerated recarbonation of recycled concrete aggregates at our CCS pilot plant at Berrima and utilisation of these aggregates in concrete further reinforce the potential of this technology.
“Alongside our significant investments in alternative fuels and alternative materials to decarbonise our cement manufacturing operations in the short term, we remain committed to exploring technologies like carbon capture and storage as part of our long-term journey towards our net zero ambition by 2050.”
The post Boral delivers successful ‘Australian first’ concrete trial appeared first on Quarry.