Heathrow has begun exploring the viability of lower carbon concrete, which cuts emissions by 50% compared to a conventional concrete.
The initiative followed Heathrow's sponsorship of a PhD candidate at the University of Surrey who undertook three years of lab work to reach this point. The trial has been designed to test the concrete’s durability and longevity in a true-to-life airport setting and is one of the first of its kind at any airport in the world.
I hope that this trial will help radically transform the built environment at Heathrow in the years to come
As part of Heathrow’s holistic sustainability strategy – Heathrow 2.0 – the airport is committed to reducing on-the-ground emissions as well as those in the air. With at least 6% of global carbon emissions each year linked to concrete production, Ecocem and Cemex’s innovative concrete solution has the potential to radically reduce the carbon output of infrastructure projects at the airport. The aim is for the trial’s findings to be used to set out a blueprint that other airports can follow. This trial is the first of a number being planned that will test other low-carbon concrete materials on the market. It is intended that the outcomes of these trials can be used to reduce embedded carbon in a number of projects being delivered by Ferrovial Construction and Dyer & Butler at Heathrow.
The project, led by Jacobs and implemented by Cemex and Ecocem, will see four different applications trialled in a pouring site close to the control tower. These will replicate use in a range of typical airport infrastructure applications, including airfield pavements, encompassing runways and taxiways as well as reinforced pit cover slabs and other ancillary concrete types. With aircraft taking off and landing close to every 45 seconds at Heathrow, it is critical the concrete undergoes rigorous testing.
Nigel Milton, chief of staff and carbon at Heathrow, said: “We’re committed to cutting carbon emissions on the ground as well as in the air and we’re delighted to be hosting one of the first airport trials in the world to test lower carbon alternatives. I hope that this trial will help radically transform the built environment at Heathrow in the years to come.”
Image: London Heathrow Airport
