Concrete is the largest manmade material people use in this world, and also causes heavy environmental footprint due to the use of Portland cement, a energy and recourse intensive product. This project aims to develop low-CO2 concrete by using alkali-activated aluminosilicate materials, including locally available coal combustion ash (fly ash), slag, and heated clays, such as metakaolin. By avoiding using Portland cement, the concrete will significantly reduce environment footprint, in terms of CO2 emissions and energy consumption. This project will combine experimental research and data analysis into life cycle analysis (LCA) to evaluate the real reduction in CO2 emissions and other environmental impacts. A candidate can not only learn fundamental knowledge about chemical activation technique and materials characterization but also the approach of LCA.

Dr Zuhua Zhang

• Professor Hao Wang

• Centre for Future Materials
• School of Engineering

• Civil Engineering
• Materials Engineering

• Doctor of Philosophy (DPHD)
• Master of Research (MRES)