Cardiff researchers tackle concrete carbon emissions with lithium leftovers

Almost 2 million tonnes of waste is produced globally each year as the race to keep up with demand for lithium, a vital ingredient in electric vehicle batteries, increases.

Simultaneously, worldwide demand for concrete is also rising, with few cleaner, greener alternatives available. A key ingredient in traditional concrete, Portland cement, accounts for nearly 8% global carbon emissions.

Writing for The Conversation, Cardiff University’s Associate Professor in Civil Engineering Dr Riccardo Maddalena and Research Associate Dr Mehdi Chougan outline LITHICRETE™, their innovative approach to tackling both problems.

“The idea is simple. If this waste can act as a supplementary binding material, it could cut the amount of traditional cement needed. This could reduce carbon emissions by up to 50%.”

Exploratory research is already underway at our School of Engineering to analyse the long-term, practical potential for LITHICRETE™ both with initial laboratory testing and real-world condition trials.

“If lithium mining waste could replace part of the cement used in concrete, it would help slash emissions, reduce landfill and strengthen the UK’s resilience as it moves away from imported industrial by-products.”

Read Dr Maddalena and Dr Chougan’s full article, ‘Could electric vehicle battery waste fix concrete’s carbon problem?’ at https://theconversation.com/could-electric-vehicle-battery-waste-fix-concretes-carbon-problem-268609

The LITHICRETE™ project is funded by UKRI-EPSRC (grant number 209, 2025 – 2028) You can find out more at https://www.cardiff.ac.uk/engineering/research/lithicrete