Ureaka spin-out turns construction waste into low-carbon cement alternative

A Strathclyde university spin-out called Ureaka is developing a process that turns construction waste into supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs) for concrete. These SCMs can replace a portion of traditional cement without requiring changes to existing manufacturing processes, cutting the carbon footprint of concrete. Cement production accounts for about 8% of global CO2 emissions, and this approach tackles both waste and emissions at once. The company is backed by the Industrial Biotechnology Innovation Centre and is now moving from lab testing to commercial trials. Ureaka plans third-party testing in a live manufacturing environment and is seeking grant funding and seed investment to scale up. The key challenge is proving the material performs reliably at industrial scale, but the drop-in design makes adoption easier for concrete producers.