Material Evolution to Launch UK’s Largest Ultra-Low Carbon Cement Plant in Wrexham

Material Evolution, a leading innovator in sustainable construction materials, is set to launch the UK’s largest ultra-low carbon cement plant in Wrexham in October 2024. The facility will produce 150,000 tonnes per year of a cement that emits up to 85% less embodied CO₂ compared to Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC).

Material Evolution’s new plant in Wrexham will make it the largest producer of low-carbon cement in the UK. The company also plans to introduce a carbon-negative cement at the Wrexham facility, further advancing its mission to decarbonize the construction industry. The Mevocrete project aims to transform the built environment by offering a durable, net-zero embodied carbon cement, tapping into historic industrial by-products.

David Hughes, Chief Science Officer at Material Evolution and co-lead of the Mevocrete project, emphasized the significance of this innovation, stating, “Cement is a binder, and what we’re looking at here is creating a net-zero-embodied carbon cement which is inherently more durable. This means our houses, infrastructure, and transport highways could be transformed on a mass industry scale, tapping into a local and national vision of a net-zero environment.”

Material Evolution’s journey has been accelerated by recent changes to the industry standard for concrete, BS 8500, revised in October 2023 by the British Standards Institution (BSI). These changes allow for greater flexibility in using low-carbon cementitious materials, further supporting the industry’s shift towards sustainable construction practices.

Co-founder Liz Gilligan stated, “We are on a mission to rapidly and radically decarbonize the construction industry by creating a product that emits 85% less carbon than traditional OPC, followed by our net-zero-carbon cement which we are working on scaling into production. Our ultimate goal is to remove one gigatonne of carbon by 2040.”

The Mevocrete project, set to conclude by the end of 2024, positions Material Evolution as a leader in the green cement sector within the £500 billion per annum concrete industry. The company plans to replicate and scale its production process across the UK and Europe, heralding a significant shift towards a more sustainable construction future.