Interviews
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3/28/2025
Paving the way for a greener future: sustainable solutions for the UK concrete industry
Ian Ellis, Head of Technical Services for concrete admixtures in the UK & Ireland shares his insights on the sustainable future of the British concrete industry.
Ian Ellis, a seasoned professional with long time experience in the concrete industry, discusses the growing emphasis on low-carbon concrete and sustainability in the UK. He highlights advancements in admixture technology, the increasing use of supplementary cementitious materials (SCM), and recycling. Ellis envisions Mapei’s RE-CON line as pivotal in reducing waste and driving innovation for a greener future.
How long have you been working in the concrete industry?
May this year I will “celebrate” the completion of my 39th year in the concrete industry, and thus starting my 40th year, having started as a concrete technician in the ready-mix concrete industry in May 1986.
What are the main developments that you witnessed in the concrete industry in the latest years?
The drive towards low carbon construction and low carbon concrete is certainly the main hot topic of recent years. This has mainly taken the form of reducing the CEM I content of the concrete by use of higher levels of supplementary cementitious materials (SCM) such as ground granulated blastfurnace slag, pulverized fuel ash, limestone filler & over recent years calcined clay. We are also seeing the move towards the use of ternary cementitious blends having used binary blends for the last 40 years or so. We also have to consider that we are trying to make concrete more durable and with longer service lives than previously, this has resulted in the requirement for higher strength grades and therefore lower water/cement ratios, a perfect opportunity for us as a supplier of High Range Water Reducing Admixtures (HRWRA). In the UK, ready-mix concrete was typically seen as being a local business, with travelling distances being quite short. Now we are seeing the smaller plants being closed and concrete being transported further, this requiring a whole new family of admixtures capable of maintaining the correct concrete consistence for 3 to 4 hours (and longer) rather than the 60 to 90 minutes that we typically saw. Combine this with lower water/cement ratios, increased SCM usage and the inclusion of recycled materials and this puts pressure on the admixture industry to produce another step change in admixture performance. I believe the re-cycling issue has finally hit home to many concrete producers in the UK. One of the biggest hurdles for the ready-mix and precast producers remains what they are permitted to do by the prevailing concrete standards such as BS EN 206 & BS 8500. For Manufactured Concrete Product producers, the prevailing specifications tend to be based on final product performance, rather than prescription of materials, etc. This gives greater potential and latitude for recycling. On a positive side we are less likely to see resistance from the concrete producers now as they have a vested interest in recycling.
To grow further in the UK concrete admixtures market, Mapei opened a new plant in Speke.
Is sustainability a crucial issue for the british concrete manufacturers?
Sustainability is definitely a crucial issue for manufacturers these days. Whilst they certainly consider the financial impact of returned concrete, I’m not convinced that they genuinely consider the environmental impact. It’s such a shame as we do have systems available to the customer which can be used to their advantage. I believe that we should develop an app that could instantly demonstrate the environmental impact of their current system and how we can reduce that by implementing the appropriate RE-CON line concept.
What can you expect from the RE-CON line in the next few years in this market?
Firstly, we need to keep product and process development moving so that we continue to be seen as being at the forefront of recycling. We also need to consider developing a more robust system for dealing with swelling clay contamination of aggregates. This has to be a near instantaneous method so it can be used at the concrete production plant. We will certainly see a significant increase in our sales of RE-CON line products. If we can fully optimize and develop the RE-CON DRY RECLAIMER, we potentially have a real game changer.
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