Project description
Innovative solution for reducing cement CO2 emissions
Concrete is a crucial material in construction and modern society, but it contributes significantly to CO2 emissions. The cement and concrete industry accounts for over 7 % of global emissions, highlighting the need to reduce its use to support climate change mitigation. Supported by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the SNC4CO2RED project aims to develop a self-nanocrystallisation of cement (SNC) solution that will significantly reduce CO2 emissions and improve cement efficiency and concrete performance. To achieve this, it will develop and validate the SNC approach, which involves producing homogeneous nano-Ca(OH)2 in cement solution under controlled hydration conditions, followed by controlled CO2 bubbling to convert it into CaCO3.
Objective
Concrete, the most widely used man-made material, builds modern society, while also generating massive CO2 emissions. The cement and concrete sector emitted 2.9Gt CO2, over 7% of global emissions. As highlighted in the GCCA Net Zero Roadmap, reducing cement use offers significant mitigation potential. Nanofillers show comprehensive advantages in modifying concrete performance, but some critical shortcomings are related to the complex production process, low production capacity, and high cost of nanofillers. This project proposes a self-nanocrystallisation of cement (SNC) approach. The SNC approach involves producing homogenous nano Ca(OH)2 in cement solution by controlling hydration conditions, followed by its conversion into nano-CaCO₃ through controlled CO2 bubbling. This process enhances cement efficiency and reduce CO2 emissions through improving concrete performance. For this purpose, this project will initially develop, validate, and optimise the SNC approaches, while revealing their underlying mechanisms, thus establishing reproducible and efficient SNC approaches. Then, the modification effect and mechanisms of SNC-derived nanofillers on the mechanical, durability and microstructural properties of concrete will be investigated. Finally, the project will evaluate the load-bearing performance of structures constructed with SNC-modified concrete, and conduct life-cycle assessments, emphasizing the potential benefits of SNC approach in reducing concrete cost and CO2 emissions. The SNC approach is designed based on the hydration characteristics of cement and carbonation process, and it does not require complex preparation processes, large amount of energy, or extra catalysts. Benefiting from the nano-core effect, SNC-derived nano-CaCO₃ can increase concrete compressive strength by 1–3 grades without extra cement, thereby reducing CO2 emissions by 10–40% and costs by 10–26%, while advancing the development of net zero concrete in line with the GCCA 2050 roadmap.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
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Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.1.2 - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)
MAIN PROGRAMME
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Topic(s)
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Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) HORIZON-MSCA-2025-PF
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
BD7 1DP Bradford
United Kingdom
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.