Cookstown-based cement production business Cemcor has successfully completed production trials of a new low carbon cement product which it claims will “revolutionise the manufacturing industry”.
The development of CalcinX represents a first for the UK cement sector and is seen as a significant milestone in the creation of next generation low carbon cementitious materials.
Driven by Cemcor’s focus of providing customers with industry-leading products, the successful development of CalcinX is the result of an ambitious project which commenced shortly after the company’s inception in early 2022, when David Millar and the LCC Group paid £56 million to Switzerland’s Holcim to acquire the Lafarge Ireland cement business.
With an awareness of the construction industry’s contribution to global emissions, Cemcor places sustainability as a top priority, and in 2023 pledged to invest £6 million in multiple industry-leading upgrades focusing on ESG.
The UK-first innovation, CalcinX is a calcined clay product produced using locally available raw materials which are then heat treated at lower temperatures compared with conventional clinker.
Calcined clay is widely regarded as an important decarbonisation tool for the construction industry due to its significantly reduced carbon footprint compared to conventional cement products.
CalcinX has been spearheaded by Allistair Wilkinson, technical and innovation manager at Cemcor, who has successfully led the project from its initial concept to full-scale production.
Cemcor has partnered with two of its local customers (Tobermore and Moore Concrete) to trial CalcinX in industrial scale concrete applications as a replacement for other ingredients, and the feedback received has played a critical role in the ongoing development and optimisation of is new product
Funding from Innovate UK has allowed Cemcor to partner with Queen’s University Belfast on the technical development of CalcinX to optimise the calcination process and material properties.
To date, more than 3,000 tonnes of CalcinX has been produced across a number of industrial scale trials, resulting in the trial production of two products.
The first is CalcinX which can be blended with Portland cement by the end user on site to specific requirements. The second is a specially formulated blend containing less than 50% clinker and up to 50% CalcinX, suitable for a wide range of concreting applications.
David Millar, managing director at Cemcor, said: “While our existing product range is well established in the market, we are always looking to the future to develop innovative products which can help our customers to achieve their own sustainability goals.
“CalcinX will enhance our current product range, allowing us to develop a range of low carbon cement products for a wide range of applications. It further enhances our commitment to invest in sustainable outputs and to protect the environment around us following other significant investments over the last three years.
“The development to date of CalcinX is a significant milestone not only for Cemcor but also the wider industry, and we are delighted to have partnered with two valued customers in Tobermore and Moore Concrete in this process.”
