Innovation can arise from some of the most unlikely places. For the case of SUVO’s “green” concrete, it was a thought that cured for a long time in the mind of Aaron Banks, founder and non-executive chairman of SUVO. Banks, like many others, was becoming increasingly aware of the insidious problem of greenhouse gas emissions, and how much space it occupied in the policymaking of local and federal governments. Metakaolin, which is a derivative of kaolin, which SUVO produces exclusively in Australia, happened to be one of the unique minerals that could partially substitute cement in past experiments. Cement is the key ingredient in concrete, and is by far the most emission-producing activity on the planet.
Aaron Banks comments: “If the cement industry were a country, it would only be behind China and the United States of America in CO2 emissions. The world’s use of cement is equivalent to building New York City every 40 days. The opportunity to play a part in reducing emissions in the cement industry is analogous to the role of electric vehicles in replacing internal combustion engines in the global passenger car fleet.”
In 2023, SUVO enlisted the help of Murdoch University and successfully produced the first trial run of a low-carbon, high-strength concrete using kaolin from its Gabbin deposit. One primary concern of using cement substitutions for infrastructure projects is the strength of the concrete. To SUVO’s delight, their first trial run of metakaolin-based concrete measured an average strength test of 52MPa, which is stronger than most concrete applications.
In OPC production, 50% of the emissions result from limestone combustion in a kiln at 1,400°C. The energy for the kiln constitutes 40%, while plant electricity and transportation account for the remaining 10%. With metakaolin, SUVO is able to remove a minimum of 50% GHG emissions compared to Ordinary Portland Cement (OPCs). Murdoch University not only supplies a laboratory fit to accurately determine emission reductions but also key personnel involved in the research and development of the formulations. This includes Dr. Martin Anda, an associate professor and Academic Chair of Environmental & Sustainable Systems Engineering from Murdoch University who joined SUVO officially in March 2024. Dr. Anda led the initial trial runs of geopolymer concrete in the lab and will continue providing technical support to help commercialise the project.
Dr. Anda commented, “Almost daily we see new market opportunities for low carbon, waste-derived geopolymer concrete. With industry partners such as PERMAcast, we hope to quickly progress commercialisation of our formulation scale to meet this demand.”
Much has happened since SUVO’s first trial run back in November 2023. In the second trial run, SUVO produced a geopolymer concrete using 1:1 metakaolin to fly ash (a waste-derived material). This produced ~70% reduction in GHG emissions in the lab. SUVO has also signed an IP agreement with Murdoch, a first step towards commercialising “Colliecrete.”
With the help of Dr. Anda, SUVO was able to secure a demonstration pour of Colliecrete on the Bunbury Outer Road Ring Project, the largest infrastructure project to date in Western Australia. They also signed two MOUs back to back with leading civil construction companies, Dowsing Group, and PERMAcast, a leader in prestressed concrete products. Dr. Peter Snowsill, a chemical engineer with 30 years of industry experience has joined the SUVO team to help progress the commercialisation of the low carbon geopolymer IP and help “answer almost daily inquires regarding the Suvo’s geopolymer concrete.”
The project is moving at an exceedingly quick pace, and as more potential customers become aware of this formulation, the transition is imminent. Partnering up with Dowsing Group and PERMAcast allows SUVO to tap into its breadth of clientele across the industry. This project is poised to revolutionise how construction companies think about “greening” operations, something that was previously limited to improving the efficiency around external parts like HVACs and electrical components. Low-carbon concrete provides construction companies with something previously impossible, that is an environmentally sustainable foundation. Could this be the innovation that bumps down construction from the list of the top five polluting industries in the world?