Aussie low-carbon concrete created using calcinated clay

Boral Limited has successfully completed product development for a low-carbon concrete incorporating Australian calcined clay.

The construction material company said this is a significant step in next-generation innovative solutions that reduce carbon emissions in concrete production and infrastructure.

The achievement follows extensive laboratory testing and large-scale field trials, demonstrating the viability of calcined clay as a supplementary cementitious material (SCM).

It builds on the technical feasibility work Boral commenced in 2024 in partnership with University of Technology Sydney (UTS), Transport for NSW and Calix, as part of a project supported by SmartCrete CRC, whose activities are funded by partners along with an Australian Commonwealth grant. It also builds on preliminary studies completed by Boral and UTS from 2020 to 2024.

The calcined clay concrete mixes comprise binary- and triple-blend formulations. These were tested under real-world conditions at Boral’s cement operations in Maldon and successfully demonstrated workability and comparable performance characteristics to traditional low-carbon concrete.

The field trials followed customer trials where Boral collaborated with Victoria’s North East Link and the University of Melbourne to supply a concrete mix for a test slab. The calcined clay concrete test slab used clay recycled from excavated soil from the same site.

Vik Bansal, CEO and Managing Director at Boral, said, “Boral is committed to leading the transition to a lower-carbon future. Our calcined clay concrete is a major step forward in our innovation journey and progress towards net zero. This work ensures we can continue to offer sustainable solutions for Australia’s building and infrastructure needs and meet our customers’ needs. We are proud to be driving the next generation of low-carbon concrete for the industry.”

Dr Ali Nezhad, Head of Sustainability and Innovation at Boral, said, “From the lab to successful field trials and product development, our work demonstrates that calcined clay concrete is not just a concept; it works at scale. Our field trials confirmed workability and placement, and the concrete looks and performs like conventional mixes.

“In developing a range of next-generation low-carbon concrete products with different blends, we are future-proofing supply and supporting the industry’s decarbonisation goals. We are already receiving pleasing feedback and industry interest to partner with them on trials. It’s an exciting time for innovation in construction materials.”

Image caption: Test pour at Boral’s Maldon cement operations. Image: Supplied.