Loughborough University

Architecture, Building and Civil Engineering

Using less cement to build lower-carbon concrete infrastructure

Concrete is fundamental to roads, buildings and other infrastructure, but cement production accounts for around 8% of global CO₂ emissions. Conventional manufacturing typically uses a uniform mix throughout a component, even though different areas experience different structural stresses. This can mean using more cement than necessary, increasing both the environmental footprint and material cost.

Eeman’s research will advance a novel in-line mixing system that can vary cement content in real time during concrete production. By combining this technology with structural topology optimisation, she will identify where cement is needed for structural performance and where lower-cement material can be used. The project will take the technology from an early-stage concept towards validated, large-scale application, manufacturing full-scale concrete components with varying cement content and testing them under different loading conditions to assess structural behaviour and durability. Life-cycle and techno-economic analyses will also evaluate potential carbon savings, resource efficiency and industrial feasibility.

The project aims to demonstrate a scalable method for producing concrete components with cement concentrated where it is structurally needed, rather than distributed uniformly throughout. Designed to be compatible with existing batching infrastructure, the technology could reduce cement consumption and carbon emissions while maintaining the performance required for resilient, lower-carbon infrastructure.