MCi Carbon tests low-carbon cement in NSW field trial with Boral and SmartCrete

MCi Carbon has successfully used its synthetic pozzolan material, Pozzlock, in concrete field trials at Boral's Maldon Cement Works in New South Wales. The material was produced at the company's Myrtle demonstration plant in Newcastle, which uses mineral carbonation to react CO2 with mineral feedstocks, creating stable carbonates and a cementitious material that can replace some emissions-intensive clinker in concrete. Each tonne of the material can avoid about 0.5 tonnes of CO2 when used in concrete, according to the company. The trial used a 5% cement replacement rate, with plans to test up to 10% in future work. Testing included mortar and lab trials at UTS Tech Lab, high-shear mixing to mimic commercial conditions, and a final field trial where two concrete truck loads were produced, one with conventional fly ash and one with MCi's material. Fresh concrete properties like slump retention and compressive strength were comparable between the two mixes. The project involves partners Transport for NSW and UTS, and is led by the SmartCrete Cooperative Research Centre. This is a practical step toward lower-carbon concrete for infrastructure, though the replacement rate is still low and scaling will require more work. The demonstration plant was officially opened in June 2026, and MCi is now moving from pilot to industrial deployment. The collaboration between industry, research, and government here is a solid model for validating new materials in real construction processes.