Wedoany.com Report on Feb 24th, Building materials company Boral Limited has announced the successful development of Australia's first low-carbon concrete product utilizing locally sourced calcined clay, following laboratory testing and field trials. This innovation marks progress in reducing carbon emissions from concrete production and infrastructure.
Boral stated that calcined clay is used as a supplementary cementitious material. Extensive laboratory evaluations and large-scale field validation have demonstrated its technical feasibility. Product development included binary and ternary blend formulations, which were tested in practical operations at its cement facility in Maldon.
The development of this low-carbon concrete began in 2024. Boral collaborated with the University of Technology Sydney, Transport for New South Wales, and Calix as part of the SmartCrete Cooperative Research Centre project, which is funded by industry partners and the Australian government. Additionally, early research can be traced back to foundational work with the University of Technology Sydney between 2020 and 2024.
In customer trials, Boral collaborated with the North East Link project in Victoria and the University of Melbourne to provide concrete mixtures for test slabs. The company emphasized that the trials used clay materials recycled from the project site, demonstrating resource circularity.
Vik Bansal, CEO and Managing Director of Boral, said: "Boral is committed to leading the transition to a low-carbon future. Our calcined clay concrete is a key innovation and a significant step towards net-zero emissions. This ensures we can continue to provide sustainable solutions for Australia's construction and infrastructure sectors, meeting our customers' needs."
Dr. Ali Nezhad, Boral's Head of Sustainability and Innovation, added: "From the laboratory to field trials, our work proves that calcined clay concrete is not just a concept but is also effective in large-scale applications. The field trials confirmed its workability and placeability, with appearance and performance comparable to traditional mixtures."
The company is developing a range of low-carbon concrete products with different formulations to enhance supply resilience and drive industry decarbonization. Boral has received early interest from industry partners and looks forward to participating in more trials to further promote this low-carbon concrete technology.
