Since its formation, SUVO primarily dominated the Australian market for sales of hydrous kaolin. They took over Pittong operations in Victoria, which had a history of providing hydrous kaolin, a washed white clay mineral for nearly 50 years to key paint and paper customers across Australia, Europe, and Asia. In 2023, SUVO decided to embark on an interesting pivot with the assistance of Murdoch University. Gleaning inspiration from the research that suggested metakaolin (calcined kaolin) could potentially be used to create a low carbon geopolymer concrete, significantly reducing carbon emissions. They re-wrote the formula for concrete using kaolin and other waste-derived materials like fly ash.
This move has quickly garnered the attention of municipal governments, as well as construction and development companies across the coast, opening the doors for diversification and scalable monetization. SUVO’s goal is to eventually commercialize the formulations for geopolymer concrete to be used as a complete substitution for conventional concrete made from Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC). The first major milestone involved an invitation to pour their proprietary formula at the Bunbury Outer Ring Project, the largest infrastructure project to date in Western Australia. SUVO and Murdoch’s invention comes at a time when governments are hasty to make moves against climate change, with Australia’s 2030 emission reduction target at 43% below baseline. In the lab, Suvo’s geopolymer concrete measured a whopping 50% reduction in carbon emissions, with a precedent to reduce up to 85% to 90%. Since then, SUVO has signed two non-binding Memorandum of Understandings (MOU) with construction material and civil construction companies. The latest is with Dowsing Group, one of Australia’s leading civil contractors specialising in slip-form concrete pavements, barriers, kerbing, footpaths, hardscapes, and civil services. The purpose of the MOU is for SUVO and Dowsing to work collaboratively to use geopolymer concrete for various end-use products. The non-executive chairman, Aaron Banks commented, “ The benefit of being able to trial low carbon geopolymer formulations with a commercial partner of this ilk is immense – it affords us a ‘real-time’ look at how the geopolymer concrete performs with the machines and people who will ultimately deploy it.”
Dowsing Group has a stellar reputation for providing 40 years of service to some of the largest infrastructure projects all over Australia. They have concurring projects in Western Australia, the Northern Territory, New South Wales, Victoria, and New Zealand. This opens a massive gateway to penetrate the construction industry, which is valued at over US $162 billion and accounts for the fifth-largest sector within their economy. It also allows Australia to make a real impact on the environmental front. As SUVO’s geopolymer concrete matures, it is foreseeable that more companies will be signing on to reduce their carbon footprint in line with net-zero targets.