Australian clean-technology firm MCi Carbon has successfully trialled a new low-carbon cement product in commercial concrete field tests in New South Wales.
The new synthetic cement material, dubbed ‘Pozzlock’, was manufactured at MCi’s newly inaugurated Myrtle demonstration plant in Newcastle.
The material was integrated into concrete produced and tested during field trials hosted by building materials company Boral at its Maldon Cement Works.
The manufacturing process utilises mineral carbonation, reacting captured carbon dioxide with mineral feedstocks to permanently lock away emissions while creating cement substitutes.
MCi estimates that every tonne of its carbon-mineralised material used in concrete avoids roughly 0.5 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions.
Led by the SmartCrete Cooperative Research Centre in partnership with Transport for NSW and the University of Technology Sydney (UTS), the research program is evaluating supplementary cementitious materials to replace carbon-heavy clinker in infrastructure applications.
The Maldon trial evaluated a 5 per cent cement replacement using Pozzlock, with two back-to-back 3.5-cubic-metre truckloads mixed, pumped, and finished into a test slab.
Fresh concrete testing showed workability, slump retention, air content, density, and early-stage compressive strength were comparable to a traditional fly-ash control mix. The team has identified a pathway to test up to 10 per cent replacement levels in future stages.
MCi Carbon CEO Marcus Dawe described scaling Pozzlock for commercial trial as a vital milestone in validating low-carbon materials within existing construction supply chains.
“It’s a strong example of how new low-carbon materials can be validated and integrated into existing construction processes, accelerating their pathway to adoption,” the CEO said.
Boral Head of Sustainability and Innovation Ali Nezhad welcomed the development, noting that partnering on carbon-utilisation solutions supports Boral’s wider strategy to decarbonise cement and concrete manufacturing.
The trial follows the June opening of MCi’s Myrtle facility, which converts up to 2,500 tonnes of captured industrial carbon dioxide annually into 10,000 tonnes of commercial building inputs.
Project partners plan to continue testing to support full commercial adoption.
