{"id":3,"date":"2024-11-14T16:04:08","date_gmt":"2024-11-14T16:04:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/research-sites.cardiff.ac.uk\/earthchem\/home\/"},"modified":"2026-06-08T16:32:31","modified_gmt":"2026-06-08T15:32:31","slug":"home","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/research-sites.cardiff.ac.uk\/earthcem\/","title":{"rendered":"Welcome to EARTHCEM"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Developing low-carbon Limestone Calcined Clay Cement (LC3) systems from UK clay resources to support durable, resilient and sustainable construction.<\/p>\n

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Project Overview<\/h2>\n

EARTHCEM is a Marie Sk\u0142odowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) Postdoctoral Fellowship project hosted by Cardiff University. The project investigates Limestone Calcined Clay Cement (LC3), an innovative low-carbon cement technology that can significantly reduce the environmental impact of cement production while maintaining the performance required for modern infrastructure.<\/p>\n

Concrete is the most widely used construction material in the world, yet cement production contributes approximately 9% of global carbon dioxide (CO\u2082) emissions. As countries work towards net-zero targets, the construction sector must develop more sustainable materials that reduce emissions without compromising durability, safety, or performance.<\/p>\n

EARTHCEM addresses this challenge by exploring how locally available UK clay resources can be transformed into high-performance cementitious materials for a more sustainable built environment.<\/p>\n

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Why EARTHCEM Matters<\/h2>\n

The construction industry faces increasing pressure to reduce carbon emissions while continuing to provide the infrastructure needed for growing populations and resilient communities.<\/p>\n

EARTHCEM focuses on:<\/p>\n

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  • Reducing the carbon footprint of cement production.<\/li>\n
  • Promoting the use of locally available clay resources.<\/li>\n
  • Advancing low-carbon cement technologies.<\/li>\n
  • Improving long-term durability and service life.<\/li>\n
  • Supporting sustainable construction and net-zero ambitions.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
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    Research Focus<\/h2>\n

    EARTHCEM investigates the complete pathway from clay resources to durable low-carbon cement systems:<\/p>\n

    Clay Resources and Activation<\/h3>\n

    Characterisation of UK clay deposits and optimisation of calcination processes to maximise reactivity.<\/p>\n

    Cement Performance<\/h3>\n

    Investigation of hydration, strength development, and microstructural evolution in LC3 systems.<\/p>\n

    Durability and Service Life<\/h3>\n

    Assessment of long-term performance under aggressive environmental exposure conditions.<\/p>\n

    Sustainability Assessment<\/h3>\n

    Evaluation of environmental benefits and service-life implications of low-carbon cement technologies.<\/p>\n

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    Project at a Glance<\/h2>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
    Item<\/th>\nDetails<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n
    Project<\/td>\nEARTHCEM<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    Full Title<\/td>\nA CEMent harnessing EARTH for a sustainable built environment<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    Funding Programme<\/td>\nHorizon Europe Marie Sk\u0142odowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    Grant Agreement<\/td>\n101210513<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    Duration<\/td>\n16 January 2026 \u2013 15 January 2028<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    Host Institution<\/td>\nCardiff University<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    MSCA Fellow<\/td>\nDr Deepankar Ashish<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    Academic Supervisor<\/td>\nDr Riccardo Maddalena<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    Co-supervisor<\/td>\nDr Diane Gardner<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n
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    Funding<\/h2>\n

    EARTHCEM has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under the Marie Sk\u0142odowska-Curie Actions Postdoctoral Fellowship (Grant Agreement No. 101210513).<\/p>\n

    Views and opinions expressed are those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union, the European Research Executive Agency (REA), or Cardiff University.<\/p>\n

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    Follow the Project<\/h2>\n

    Follow EARTHCEM through this website for project updates, research developments, publications, conference presentations, and public engagement activities throughout the fellowship.<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Developing low-carbon Limestone Calcined Clay Cement (LC3) systems from UK clay resources to support durable, resilient and sustainable construction. Project Overview EARTHCEM is a Marie Sk\u0142odowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) Postdoctoral Fellowship […]","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"class_list":["post-3","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"meta_box":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/research-sites.cardiff.ac.uk\/earthcem\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/research-sites.cardiff.ac.uk\/earthcem\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/research-sites.cardiff.ac.uk\/earthcem\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/research-sites.cardiff.ac.uk\/earthcem\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/research-sites.cardiff.ac.uk\/earthcem\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3"}],"version-history":[{"count":36,"href":"https:\/\/research-sites.cardiff.ac.uk\/earthcem\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":181,"href":"https:\/\/research-sites.cardiff.ac.uk\/earthcem\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3\/revisions\/181"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/research-sites.cardiff.ac.uk\/earthcem\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/research-sites.cardiff.ac.uk\/earthcem\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}