Innovation in cements – can we meet future construction needs sustainably?

Professor John L. Provis

Abstract:
There has been an enormous growth in the volume and scope of technical analysis of alternative cements, accompanied by claims of “sustainability”, during the past decade. Some of this growth has been accompanied by real-world actions in terms of commercialisation, trials, and deployment. However, there are a very large number of lines of investigation – some of which appear extremely promising from environmental and technical perspectives – that have not yet been translated into reality. This presentation will address some of the key drivers for a sustainable future in cement technology, with a particular focus on alkali-activated materials, including comments on the pathways by which some of the evident potential of these materials can be unlocked for the benefit of society.

Biosketch:
John joined the University of Sheffield in 2012 with a Chair in Cement Materials Science and Engineering. He completed a combined BE(Hons)/BSc in Chemical Engineering and Applied Mathematics at the University of Melbourne, Australia, in 2002, followed by a PhD in Chemical Engineering at the same institution in 2006. He then led the Geopolymer and Minerals Processing Group, in the Department of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering at the University of Melbourne until relocating to Sheffield.

John was awarded the 2013 RILEM Robert L’Hermite Medal “in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the research and development of geopolymers and other construction materials”, and was awarded an honorary doctorate (Dr.h.c.) by Hasselt University, Belgium, in 2015 to recognise his leadership in the development of geopolymers and other novel cementitious materials. His research has been funded by the European Research Council (starting grant 2013-8), as well as other EU sources, UK Research Councils, industry, and international funding bodies. He is an invited TAC Expert of RILEM, a Voting Member of committees of BSI, ASTM and ACI, Editor-in-Chief of the leading journal Materials and Structures, Associate Editor of Cement and Concrete Research, and Speciality Chief Editor for the Structural Materials section of Frontiers in Materials.