Concrete using ultra-low-carbon alkali-activated cementitious materials (AACMs), a real alternative to Portland cement (PC), has taken another major step forward – proving its use within underground piling applications as part of the Innovate UK project LOCOWAG (Low Carbon Concrete within Aggressive Ground). MartaDiez-Garcia of DB Groupo Reports.
Over a two-year period, Cemfree and its partners undertook a series of trials and live projects, successfully completing extensive testing to demonstrate that the cement-free concrete is now an available alternative – and in some respects will outperform PC – for both precast and conventional piling applications. The Innovate UK and industry funded LOCOWAG, which was supported under SMART grant 50436, is a two-year project, which commenced in November 2020. The team has developed and assessed (via laboratory testing and site pilots) innovative concrete formulations in which PC is replaced with AACMs. AACMs have the potential to reduce the embodied CO2e associated with a concrete foundation relative to PC. AACMs are also more resistant to chemical attack, de-risking the use