Press Release

Imerys partners with the Mineral Products Association in the United Kingdom to reduce the CO2 footprint in cement and concrete

  • Starting in January 2022, the 24-month Reclaimed Calcined Clay for low carbon Cements project is to reduce a part of cement using a substitute of local products with a lower carbon footprint. The option being explored by Imerys is metakaolin, a type of clay that could be produced in Cornwall.

  • This project is being managed by the Mineral Products Association through the UK Government and funded by Innovate UK.

Embodied CO2 from the cement production process is a significant challenge, with around 750 kilos of emissions produced per ton of cement. Around 10 million tons of cement are produced in the UK every year. 

Materials from Cornwall’s kaolin production are used in high-end applications in many markets, including ceramics, coatings and paper. As part of the research project, Imerys’ geologists will characterize clay materials that could be valuable for construction. 

This project demonstrates the strength of Imerys as a Group to address a mega trend from the Construction market. Starting in January 2022, 10 candidate materials – five of which will come from Imerys and the rest from other partners in the consortium – will be produced and characterized in two of Imerys Technology Centers in the UK (Par Moor) and in Lyon, France and tested by the university partners. 

Imerys’ involvement in similar projects to improve the CO2 footprint of concrete using post-industrial materials has put the team on the front foot. Notably, for UrbCon, a Europe-wide project supporting sustainable urban construction, Imerys has been supplying aggregates and by-products from Cornwall kaolin, and a demo bench has been installed  in the City of Ghent, Belgium, based on the UrbCon design.