Recently the first pour of Vinci Construction and Ecocem’s Exegy ultra-low carbon concrete in the UK took place.
The concrete was developed over four years by Vinci Construction and Ecocem, who have jointly patented the alkali-activated binder that is key to reducing the use of Portland cement in the mix.
The first UK pour took place on EcoPark South in Edmonton, London, which is the first phase of North London Waste Authority’s £1.2bn sustainable management hub and energy recovery facility. The mix used has a 70% lower carbon footprint when compared to traditional concrete and 50% lower than very low carbon concrete.
The use of Exegy concrete in the UK follows on from its use on the Grand Paris Express rail project in France. Vinci Construction has created pre-cast tunnel lining segments out of the low-carbon concrete for a pilot project on the new Line 18.
The pilot project intends to ascertain whether the Exegy concrete works adequately when poured into formwork at the pace required for an industrial operation. It will also check how the finished precast segments behave in storage and over time under operating constraints.
Vinci Construction created a concrete formula specifically suited to tunnel lining segment construction. In September last year it created 40 segments – enough to produce five full tunnel rings – for the project. These will be used for full-scale qualification tests including ISO fire tests and load tests.
Exegy will also be used in the construction of the athletes’ village for the Paris 2024 summer Olympics.
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