Project description
Making concrete production more eco-friendly
Concrete is the most widely used material in the construction of civil engineering structures, but it has two significant disadvantages. First, its durability is low, and second, it is a powerful driver of global warming: the concrete industry is responsible for about 8 % of global carbon dioxide emissions. Alternative basic ingredients of concrete, such as alkali-activated materials, need to be further investigated to make its production sustainable. Funded by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the DuRSAAM project aims to strengthen European research on eco-efficient construction materials. The programme will offer the opportunity to 13 PhD students to receive advanced training in the design and assessment of alkali-activated materials, fibre-reinforced concrete and textile-reinforced mortar.
Objective
DuRSAAM is a collaborative PhD framework creating a critical mass of experts skilled in innovative alkali-activated material (AAM) concrete, as a key enabling technology for a sustainable and resilient built environment. AAM technology presents a new generation of materials, ideally conceived to respond to the need for more efficient, durable, eco-friendly and reliable construction, and utilizing by-product resources as raw materials. Modern concrete will be produced with low carbon footprint (CO2 emissions reduced by 80%), lower energy consumption and reduced use of primary resources (>1.5 t raw materials are quarried per t Portland cement clinker; this will be reduced by >60%), and with an addressable market for AAM binders of 5 B€/yr. DuRSAAM answers unmet industry demands, to facilitate emerging AAM technology for continued market entry and to unlock its potential in society.
The consortium brings together 7 academic and 15 non-academic partners, to excel in the scientific development and exploitation of AAM concrete, advancing design, modelling and practice beyond the state-of-the-art. It holds a unique focus on: (1) today’s concerns of users and engineers that the durability and sustainability of AAM concrete is yet insufficiently quantified; and (2) provision of an AAM technology for rehabilitation of structures to meet the growing demand for renovation, to be developed in parallel with AAM for new concrete structures.
The network will deliver world-leading training in this multidisciplinary field through 13 PhDs in interrelated aspects of AAM concrete, fibre reinforced high-performance concrete, and textile-reinforced mortar, as well as sustainability assessment. The outcomes will be instrumental in delivering a sustainable future in Europe’s construction industry, which is increasingly driven by the growing demand for durable yet cost-effective solutions, driving a greater focus on reliable and comprehensive eco-efficient material technologies such as AAM.
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Keywords
Programme(s)
Coordinator
9000 Gent
Belgium
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Participants (6)
2628 CN Delft
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76131 Karlsruhe
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S10 2TN Sheffield
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10000 Zagreb
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265 04 Rio Patras
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8092 Zuerich
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Partners (15)
Partner organisations contribute to the implementation of the action, but do not sign the Grant Agreement.
76250 Gradacac
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1000 Bruxelles / Brussel
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8550 Zwevegem
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3011 AD Rotterdam
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73000 Chambery
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1017CC Amsterdam
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The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.
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3000 Leuven
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The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.
Partner organisations contribute to the implementation of the action, but do not sign the Grant Agreement.
1000 Bruxelles / Brussel
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6340 Baar
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050022 Medellin
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9052 Zwijnaarde
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2070 Pirdop
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26443 Patras
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2200 Kobenhavn
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Partner organisations contribute to the implementation of the action, but do not sign the Grant Agreement.
1083 HL Amsterdam
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