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Nordic–Dutch startup Paebbl is producing an olivine-based cement substitute via accelerated CO2 mineralisation in low-energy reactors, claiming a net negative footprint of –14.4kg CO2‑equivalent per tonne (cradle-to-gate) and storage of about 21kg CO2 per m³ of concrete at typical replacement rates. The material has moved from gramme-scale tests to an operational pilot in 18 months and has already been used in a Rotterdam quay wall grout by Hakkers, the 1917 Veerhuis restoration, and a 7m-span “carbon-neutral” concrete footbridge by Heijmans. Classified as CCUS, the process permanently binds captured industrial CO2 into stable carbonate minerals that remain locked in even after demolition, offering structural-grade, carbon-storing concrete mixes rather than purely low-embodied-carbon variants.

Researchers at ETH Zurich and Empa have developed a recyclable sawdust–struvite composite board that is stronger in compression perpendicular to grain than spruce and shows cone calorimeter ignition times of 45 seconds, around three times longer than untreated timber. The material uses an enzyme from watermelon seeds to control crystallisation of struvite from newberyite, forming large crystals that infill voids between sawdust particles and act as an inorganic flame retardant, potentially matching cement‑bonded particleboard fire classes with only 40% binder by weight. Panels can be mechanically ground, heated to just over 100°C to release ammonia, and fully separated for reuse or as a phosphorus fertiliser, with future cost reductions possible by sourcing struvite from sewage treatment plant deposits.

Atlas Copco has launched QHS integrated hybrid generators that combine battery storage and a diesel genset in a single canopy unit, capable of grid charging, self-charging via the engine, and optional solar panel input. The system automatically manages multiple energy sources to minimise engine runtime, claiming up to 80% fuel and CO₂ reductions and more than 95% less engine operating time versus diesel-only sets at low or variable loads. Rental-focused features include multiple socket configurations, external fuel connections, a terminal board and FleetLink telemetry for remote monitoring, diagnostics and fleet management.

The World Gold Council has launched “Gold as a Service”, an open, shared infrastructure concept co-developed with Boston Consulting Group to link vaulted physical custody directly with digital issuance and management of gold-backed products. The proposed platform standardises custody coordination, reconciliation, compliance and redemption to support scalable, interoperable tokens and other digital gold instruments that can plug into modern trading, clearing and recordkeeping systems. WGC is inviting banks, fintechs, custodians and other market participants to help design the “trusted rails” needed to operate digital gold at market scale without compromising bar-level integrity.

Australian researchers led by CSIRO have built the world’s first proof‑of‑concept quantum battery, using entangled quantum states to charge multiple cells collectively rather than individually. The lab‑scale device, fabricated in CSIRO’s clean quantum battery engineering lab, is designed to scale to solid‑state architectures compatible with grid‑scale storage and electric vehicles. If commercialised, the technology could sharply increase demand for high‑purity critical minerals such as lithium, nickel, cobalt and rare earth elements, with tighter specifications on impurity control and crystal defect behaviour.

Legrand is now supplying cable management systems made with 34% green steel, targeting high‑demand data centre projects that can require hundreds or thousands of kilometres of cabling. The green steel uses at least 75% scrap in electric arc furnaces powered by certified renewable electricity, cutting embodied carbon from about 2.38t CO2e to as little as 799kg CO2e per tonne of finished cold‑rolled steel, a 70% reduction versus blast furnaces. This shift is already lowering Legrand’s Scope 3 supply‑chain emissions and offers contractors a straightforward route to reduce project embodied carbon.

Government spending of £377M over nine months has been required to keep British Steel’s two Scunthorpe blast furnaces operating following emergency intervention by the Department for Business and Trade in April 2025, the National Audit Office has reported. The support covers ongoing operation of the integrated works, including coke ovens and basic oxygen steelmaking, which supply long products and rail sections critical to UK infrastructure projects. Engineers face continued uncertainty over future capacity, investment in low‑carbon steelmaking routes, and long‑term security of domestic steel supply for major schemes.

Rio Tinto has completed an industrial trial with Prysmian to produce low‑carbon aluminium rod for power cables, blending metal from its hydro-powered Alma smelter in Quebec with ELYSIS inert-anode technology that eliminates direct smelting greenhouse gas emissions and generates oxygen. The trial sits within a five-year supply agreement signed in October 2023 to roll out lower‑carbon aluminium cable solutions for energy transmission and data centres. CRU forecasts data centres will grow from about 7% of North American cable demand in 2025 at roughly 17% CAGR to 2030, with aluminium gaining share for campus power distribution.

Hydrogen has been used by Heidelberg Materials UK to decarbonise asphalt production on an industrial scale for the first time in the UK, replacing conventional fossil fuel combustion in the drying and heating phase of the mixing process. The trial, conducted in a full-scale asphalt plant rather than a laboratory rig, demonstrates that hydrogen burners can maintain production temperatures and binder performance within standard specification limits. For pavement designers and contractors, this signals emerging scope to cut Scope 1 emissions from asphalt plants without changing mix designs or laying procedures.

Brick and block producer Forterra delivered 2025 revenue of £386.0m, up 12.1% year-on-year, with adjusted profit before tax rising 62.9% to £36.0m despite muted aircrete and aggregate block despatches and an 8% fall in UK domestic brick despatches in January 2026 versus January 2025. Output gains came from both kilns at the Desford brick factory running simultaneously for the first time and near-complete redevelopment of the Wilnecote plant, plus strong demand for Bison precast concrete flooring. Statutory results absorbed £6.7m of restructuring costs from closing the Formpave and Bison Bespoke Precast divisions, while Forterra launched its Omnia extruded brick slip range at Accrington.

Heidelberg Materials has produced 1,303 tonnes of asphalt at its Criggion quarry in Powys using 100 per cent hydrogen in place of liquid fossil fuels, in what is claimed as the UK’s first hydrogen-fuelled asphalt production run. The trial, part-funded under DESNZ’s Industrial Hydrogen Accelerator, consumed 4,522 kg of hydrogen and cut scope 1 emissions by 76 per cent, equating to a 23 per cent reduction in product carbon footprint and 25,105 kg of CO₂ saved. If replicated across UK asphalt plants, the approach could abate around 450,000 tonnes of CO₂ annually, pending proof of commercial viability.

Leading manufacturers of insulating glass units are adopting laser distance sensors to monitor and precisely adjust glass panel positioning during automated assembly. Dimetix D‑Series laser distance sensors, supplied locally by AMS Instrumentation & Calibration, provide non-contact measurement over several metres with millimetre-level accuracy, enabling closed-loop control of panel spacing and alignment. For mining and industrial plant glazing, this level of positional control reduces rework, improves seal integrity in multi-pane safety glass, and supports consistent thermal and acoustic performance in harsh environments.

Plastic pipe manufacturer Polypipe Building Services has invested £1.5m in automation, £3m in moulding machinery and £2.5m in extrusion technology at its 24-hour, five-day Aylesford plant, moving key lines to fully automated operation. Six-axis and Cartesian robots now handle production and packaging, while an IV4 AI vision camera counts parts and flags dimensional variation, ovality and moulding defects before dispatch. Operator loading has shifted from one operator per machine to typically one per four machines, with staff redeployed and further automation planned in the fabrication department.

Breedon has completed its acquisition of Booth Precast Products in Abbeyleix, County Laois, adding a long-established sand and gravel quarry and processing plant that has supplied the Irish construction market for over 25 years. The deal, agreed in December 2025 and cleared by the Republic of Ireland’s Competition Authority, secures additional mineral reserves to serve the growing Dublin market. Integration of Booth’s concrete operations gives Breedon Ireland a more vertically integrated aggregates-to-concrete supply chain for regional infrastructure and building projects.

The UK Concrete Show 2026 at Birmingham’s NEC on 25–26 March will run a seminar programme centred on decarbonisation, materials innovation, digital monitoring, performance verification, and skills development for concrete producers and specifiers. Sessions will address low‑carbon binders and mix designs, sensor‑based monitoring of pours and in‑service structures, and verification of performance against evolving standards. The focus on skills suggests practical content for contractors, precast manufacturers, and designers needing to integrate new materials and digital QA/QC into existing workflows.

SAMI Bitumen Technologies has opened a new technical centre to expand research and development of bitumen additives and performance enhancers for Australian road construction and maintenance. The facility centralises laboratory testing, product formulation and quality control for polymer-modified binders, emulsions and warm-mix technologies, improving collaboration between SAMI’s technical teams and its large-scale production network. For pavement designers and asset owners, the centre signals faster validation of high-performance binders and more consistent field performance data for heavily trafficked highways and sprayed-seal networks.

Precast manufacturer Tobermore Concrete Products has been fined £160,000 at Londonderry Crown Court after production team leader Colin Thomas was fatally crushed on 26 April 2023 at the HESS1 block manufacturing line at its Lisnamuck Road plant. Thomas entered a fenced pit area for cleaning when a horizontal latch conveyor restarted, trapping him between the moving conveyor and fixed structure because the line had not been fully isolated and locked out. HSENI found unclear interlock zoning, absence of safety light sensors on HESS1 despite their use on similar lines, and inadequate supervision of cleaning and maintenance practices.

Swiss researchers have strengthened ageing bridge decks by embedding heat‑activated iron‑based shape memory alloy (Fe‑SMA) bars within an ultra‑high‑performance fibre‑reinforced concrete (UHPFRC) overlay, creating active prestress when the bars are heated. The Fe‑SMA bars contract on activation and lock in compressive stresses as the UHPFRC hardens, improving fatigue performance and crack control without adding significant self‑weight. This approach offers a thin, bonded strengthening layer that can be installed on existing decks with minimal clearance loss and limited traffic disruption.

Circular, UK-made steel is being promoted as a route to cut embodied carbon in buildings and infrastructure while reducing exposure to volatile global supply chains. By using scrap-based electric arc furnace production and designing for disassembly and reuse of beams, columns and plate, contractors can lower lifecycle emissions compared with imported basic oxygen furnace steel. For geotechnical and civil teams, specifying circular steel in piles, retaining structures and frames will increasingly be driven by client net-zero targets and whole-life carbon assessments.

Sripath Technologies is marking 20 years of supplying specialised asphalt additives and modifier technologies to the global road construction and maintenance sector, with a focus on performance and cost efficiency. The company’s portfolio includes products such as rejuvenators and polymer modifiers designed to improve rutting resistance, fatigue life and workability, while enabling higher reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP) contents. Its long-term commercial track record signals growing confidence in engineered additives as a route to more durable, lower‑carbon pavements without major changes to existing plant or laying practices.

Utranazz has cut prices on its Sermac truck-mounted concrete pump range by about £50,000 while keeping the same specification, output and build quality, directly targeting competition from Chinese-owned brands Cifa (Zoomlion), Putzmeister (Sany) and Schwing (XCMG). The Sermac 4ZR20 on a Mercedes 1827 4x2, 18‑tonne GVW chassis now lists at £255,000, the 5Z36 on a Mercedes Arocs 2643 6x4, 26‑tonne GVW at £350,000, and the 5RZ46 Superlight on a Mercedes Arocs 3246 8x4, 32‑tonne GVW at £425,000. For contractors, the move materially lowers capex for European-engineered pumps without trading off reach or reliability.

US battery recycler Aqua Metals has signed a term sheet to acquire Utah-based energy storage systems provider Lion Energy, aiming to control the full battery lifecycle from manufacturing and deployment to grid-interactive storage and end-of-life recovery. The deal would combine Aqua Metals’ recycled battery materials, including future supply of up to 1,000 tonnes per year of nickel carbonate to Westwin Elements from 2027, with Lion’s systems, software and manufacturing capability. Shares in Aqua Metals fell 6.9% on the announcement, leaving the company valued at $12.8 million.

Advanced Magnet Lab (AML) is scaling a wire-like manufacturing process for permanent magnets, enabling samarium nitride and manganese-bismuth compositions that are poorly suited to conventional press-and-sinter NdFeB routes dominated by China. Operating at pilot scale and targeting roughly 100 tonnes per year rather than 10,000-tonne megaprojects, AML is qualifying MnBi magnets with motor OEMs and ramping NdFeB output for defence and specialty uses, with samarium nitride furthest advanced. OEMs are reportedly paying US$10–20/kg premiums for diversified, traceable supply, while magnet-making equipment faces 14–20 month lead times.

Builders’ merchants’ like-for-like value sales in Britain slipped 0.4% year-on-year in November 2025, with volumes down 8.5% and prices up 3.7%, while unadjusted takings fell 5.1% due to one fewer trading day. Renewables & Water Saving and Workwear & Safetywear grew by 5.1% and 4.0% respectively, but Timber & Joinery Products fell 2.4% and Heavy Building Materials dropped 8.4%, signalling continued weakness in core structural categories. Over the 12 months to November 2025, like-for-like sales edged up 1.1% as volumes rose 1.9% and prices eased 1.2%, indicating a flat but slightly cheaper materials market.

Aqua Metals and American Battery Factory have signed a non-binding MOU to evaluate co-locating an Aqua Metals lithium-ion recycling plant next to ABF’s planned LFP cell gigafactory in Tucson, Arizona, creating a closed-loop route for manufacturing scrap. The proposed commercial facility would process up to 10,000 tonnes per year of lithium-ion materials and return battery-grade lithium carbonate directly into ABF’s supply chain or to designated offtakers, using Aqua Metals’ electricity-powered AquaRefining system instead of conventional pyrometallurgy or hydrometallurgy. Aqua Metals is already targeting 2027 supply of up to 1,000 tonnes per year of recycled nickel carbonate to Westwin Elements under a separate LOI.

The Federal Government will invest $75 million in Alpha HPA to build a high-purity alumina production facility in Gladstone, described as the world’s largest of its type and focused on supplying LED and lithium-ion battery markets. The plant will use Alpha’s proprietary solvent extraction process to refine aluminium-containing industrial feedstocks into 4N+ purity alumina and related high-purity aluminium salts. For process engineers and materials specialists, the project signals growing domestic capacity in battery and electronics-grade alumina, with associated demand for reliable reagents, utilities, and port-side logistics.

The UK Concrete Show will return to Birmingham’s NEC on 25–26 March 2026 in Hall 17, bringing more than 170 exhibitors covering cementitious materials, admixtures, test equipment, pumps, volumetric and truck mixers, and digital monitoring solutions. New technical features include the Live Demo Zone for in-situ demonstrations of production, placement and finishing equipment, and an expanded Concrete Connect Seminar Theatre hosted by Susannah Streeter, with sessions on decarbonisation technologies, advanced carbons and lower‑carbon precast design. Suppliers range from Cormac Engineering’s Frumecar batching plants (30–150 m³/h, fixed and mobile, wet and dry) to Arrow kerbing machines and Betonblock steel block moulds.

Holcim UK has promoted former northern aggregates regional director Shaun Elliott to managing director for recycling, tasking him with maximising recycling performance and integrating it across the business. The company now operates eight recycling centres after acquiring PJ Thory, Gemmix, Pro Minimix and Thames Materials, expanding capacity to process construction and demolition materials into certified secondary aggregates and cementitious products. Globally, Holcim is targeting annual recycling of 20 million tonnes of CDM by 2030, lifting cement recycled content to 30% and using 70 million tonnes of waste and by-products as alternative fuels and raw materials.

Atlas Copco’s B-Air 185-12, billed as the world’s first battery-driven portable air compressor, is now available for UK demonstrations, delivering 5–12 bar at 5.4–3.7 m³/min from a 55 kWh onboard pack with no fuel or grid connection. The 1,500 kg unit uses an electronic pressure regulation system to switch between tasks such as 6 bar hand tools, 10.3 bar sandblasting and 12 bar cable blowing, and is designed to run for a full typical shift. A permanent magnet motor with variable speed and a NEOS Xtreme IP66 inverter claims up to 70% higher energy efficiency than diesel compressors, with lower noise and zero tail-pipe emissions for urban and enclosed sites.

UK construction materials suppliers report demand, not supply, as the critical constraint, with UK brick deliveries to November 2025 down 6.1% year-on-year while brick stocks have climbed 14.5% to 542.1 million units. The CLC Material Supply Chain Group, co-chaired by Builders Merchants Federation chief executive John Newcomb and Construction Products Association chief executive Peter Caplehorn, cites concrete volumes falling about 28% nationally over four years and 39% in London over two years, alongside a 1.3% drop in Q4 2025 construction output despite 0.3% UK GDP growth in November. Producers are mothballing sites, delaying capex and cutting jobs, with the group warning that restarting capacity could take up to six months and urging targeted government stimulus focused on housing and residential RMI to avoid long-term structural damage.

Nominations have opened for the 2026 Endeavour Awards, billed as Australia’s premier manufacturing awards and run by Manufacturers’ Monthly in collaboration with Australian Manufacturing Week. The program recognises both individual engineers and organisations for innovations in areas such as advanced manufacturing, automation and materials processing that are reshaping domestic production capability. Winners will be announced at an annual gala dinner in May 2026, giving suppliers, fabricators and plant operators a national platform to showcase new processes and technologies.

Engineers led by the University of Warwick have produced what is described as the world’s first structural engineering design manual for bamboo, aimed at standardising calculations for loadbearing frames, connections and serviceability checks. Developed by an international team, the manual is intended to support code-compliant design of engineered bamboo elements such as laminated beams and columns, moving beyond prescriptive, region-specific rules. For civil and structural engineers, this offers a reference to justify bamboo in primary structures, particularly in low- to mid-rise buildings in high-seismic and high-humidity regions.

A 7m pedestrian bridge in the Netherlands has been unveiled as the world’s first using a concrete mix claimed to be CO₂‑neutral over its life cycle. Developers report that the binder system and aggregate selection are engineered so that production and curing emissions are fully offset by in‑service CO₂ uptake, without relying on external carbon credits. For designers, the project signals that carbon‑neutral structural concrete is moving from lab trials to full‑scale applications, raising immediate questions on durability testing, Eurocode compliance and verification of whole‑life carbon accounting.

Researchers at Monash University have developed a hydrometallurgical process to recover high‑purity critical metals from spent lithium‑ion batteries using greener reagents than conventional strong mineral acids. Led by PhD student Parisa Biniaz and Dr Parama Banerjee, the lab‑scale method targets elements such as lithium, cobalt and nickel from shredded cathode material while minimising secondary waste streams. The approach points to lower‑impact recycling flowsheets that could reduce reliance on primary ore for battery metals and change leach chemistry assumptions in future plant design.

Versarien’s collapse puts its Cementene graphene-enhanced concrete admixture in doubt, raising questions over whether graphene additives can achieve consistent performance, certification and cost benefits in mainstream construction mixes. The UK Supreme Court’s Providence v Hexagon ruling is described as a landmark for late payment law, with implications for drafting and enforcing construction payment terms and adjudication strategies. A young plant hire firm in northeast England is reported to be achieving around 40% pre-tax margins, signalling strong demand and tight fleet management in regional equipment supply.

IStructE has released the Manual for the design of bamboo structures to ISO 22156:2021, a 10‑chapter structural engineering guide covering grading and mechanical properties, seismic and wind design, shear walls, durability and connection design for permanent bamboo buildings up to two storeys. Authored by INBAR Bamboo Construction Task Force members David Trujillo, Kent Harries, Sebastian Kaminski and Luis Felipe Lopez, the manual addresses bamboo supply chains and project management from sourcing through to detailed design. The publication formalises design provisions including fire considerations, aiming to make engineered bamboo a credible low‑carbon option in mainstream practice.

Building products manufacturer Marshalls has confirmed interim chief executive Simon Bourne, formerly chief commercial officer and a board member since 2022, as permanent CEO after a seven‑week internal and external search. Bourne’s first move was a trading update forecasting 2025 turnover up 2% with adjusted profit before tax in line with market expectations, but no underlying market improvement anticipated for 2026. Management is signalling that margin gains will depend on 2025 cost‑cutting and tighter execution of its “Transform & Grow” strategy across concrete, paving and landscaping product lines.

CRC Etch-10 is a phosphoric acid-based metal etch and cleaner formulated for abrasive mining environments to improve coating adhesion and corrosion resistance on steel substrates. The product is supplied as a ready-to-use liquid, designed to remove light rust, mill scale and surface contaminants prior to application of epoxy or polyurethane protective coatings on fixed plant, mobile equipment and structural steel. For maintenance engineers, it offers a controlled, chemical surface profile where abrasive blasting is impractical or restricted by access, dust or noise constraints.

Building materials producer Alumasc has appointed Pamela Bingham as chief executive from 31 March 2026, succeeding Paul Hooper after his 25-year tenure leading the group. Bingham, currently at seals and bearings specialist Eriks UK & Ireland as CEO, previously headed Glen Dimplex Heating & Ventilation and held senior roles at CRH, Weir Group and Rotork, bringing direct experience in industrial components and HVAC. Alumasc’s board is signalling continued focus on sustainable building products and decarbonisation-oriented solutions as the core of its next growth phase.

Administrators have been appointed to AIM-listed Versarien, developer of the Cementene graphene admixture and partner in HS2 trials of graphene‑reinforced 3D‑printed concrete with the Skanska Costain Strabag JV. The company, which helped Banagher Precast Concrete cut ordinary Portland cement content by 20% in a standard precast mix and signed a materials R&D agreement with Balfour Beatty, entered administration on 6 January 2026. Persistent losses of £4.3m on £2.4m revenue in the latest year and failed investment and M&A efforts triggered the move, with Leonard Curtis now seeking buyers for the business and assets.

Fox Group has appointed former Tarmac national commercial director Richard Kirwin as group commercial director, giving him responsibility for sales, marketing, product development and customer relations across its plant hire, quarrying, aggregates recycling, muck-away and ready-mix concrete operations. Kirwin brings 25 years’ experience at Tarmac, including four years in a UK-wide commercial role covering asphalt, aggregates and concrete supply to major infrastructure schemes. The move follows Blackpool-based Fox Brothers Holdings Group’s acquisition by Stellex Capital Management in September 2024, signalling an aggressive growth and materials innovation agenda in regional civils supply chains.

BlueScope has rejected an A$8.8 billion takeover bid from Steel Dynamics and SGH, which offered A$30 per share and proposed splitting the business, with Steel Dynamics taking North American operations and SGH retaining the rest. The board argued the offer undervalued assets including five North American businesses that delivered about 45% of FY2025 revenue, a steel mill in Ohio located roughly 130 km from a Steel Dynamics facility, and nearly 100 Australian sites generating A$6.95 billion in domestic sales. The decision comes amid 50% US steel import tariffs and BlueScope’s parallel interest in acquiring the Whyalla steelworks with partners Nippon Steel and Posco.

Researchers in Sweden have characterised how stainless steel corrodes in contact with liquid lead, providing data critical for structural components in lead‑cooled fast reactors proposed as alternatives to pressurised water designs. The work focuses on corrosion mechanisms at the steel–lead interface, including dissolution and oxide layer behaviour, which directly affect cladding integrity, vessel wall thickness allowances and inspection intervals. Findings are expected to inform material selection, allowable temperature windows and safety margins for future Generation IV lead‑cooled reactor projects.

Hillhouse Quarry Group, one of Scotland’s largest privately owned aggregates and asphalt producers, has appointed former NATS chief financial officer Alistair Borthwick as chief executive and promoted long-serving commercial director Mark Munro to managing director. The leadership change follows the planned April retirement of managing director Robert McNaughton, who led the family-run business for 18 years as it expanded from an Ayrshire quarry operator into a national group and entered Scotland’s top 100 private companies. For contractors and materials buyers, the move signals continuity in long-term supply relationships and pricing strategy, with added financial discipline from Borthwick’s infrastructure background.

BlueScope Steel has rejected as “unlikely to be acceptable” a A$13.15 billion (A$30 per share) takeover proposal from a consortium led by Kerry Stokes-backed SGH and US-based Steel Dynamics, despite the 27% premium to its pre-bid share price. The company disclosed it had already turned down three unsolicited approaches in late 2024 and early 2025, including Steel Dynamics-led bids at A$27.50 and A$29.00 per share focused on its North American operations. BlueScope, which runs the Port Kembla steelworks and almost 100 Australian sites generating A$6.95 billion in local sales, is also in talks with Nippon Steel and Posco over a potential acquisition of the Whyalla steelworks.

Sripath has launched ButaPhalt, a new polymer additive for polymer modified bitumen (PMB) blends designed to address long‑standing bonding and durability issues in road surfacings. The formulation is engineered to increase crosslinking connectivity within the binder matrix, improving cohesion between bitumen, polymer and aggregate while also boosting plant production efficiency. For pavement designers and asphalt producers, this signals potential for longer‑life wearing courses, better resistance to rutting and cracking, and fewer processing constraints when specifying high‑performance PMB mixes.

Scottish Water has signed an advance market commitment to procure almost 20,000m³ of low carbon concrete over five years, equivalent to about 30% of its current annual concrete use. The Innovate UK and Carbon Limiting Technologies-led scheme, funded by the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero, aims to aggregate up to 500,000m³ of demand to de-risk commercialisation of novel low carbon mixes. With Scottish Water investing over £1bn a year in infrastructure, the commitment signals material changes to mix design specifications and supply-chain carbon baselines on upcoming projects.

K-Briq, a masonry unit made from nearly 100% recycled construction and demolition waste, is now sold direct to consumers via B&Q’s diy.com online marketplace. Developed by Heriot-Watt University spin-out Kenoteq, the brick has already been specified by architects for commercial projects and award-winning festival installations, and is now being adopted for domestic renovations and garden walls. Wider retail availability signals growing client pressure for low‑carbon, circular materials in small‑scale builds as well as large commercial schemes.

Firebird Metals has reported manganese-iron phosphate (MFP) battery material results that exceed current Chinese industry purity standards, strengthening its case for high-spec cathode precursor supply. The high-purity MFP is targeted at lithium-ion battery applications, positioning Firebird’s planned production as a potential alternative to conventional manganese sulphate routes. For process engineers and metallurgists, the data point to viable upstream integration of manganese ore into value-added MFP with tighter impurity control than typical Chinese benchmark products.

Heidelberg Materials UK has awarded Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Worley an EPCM contract to deliver a carbon capture facility at the Padeswood cement works in north Wales, following completion of FEED and a final investment decision with the UK government in September. Using MHI’s Advanced KM CDR Process, the plant is designed to capture about 800,000 tonnes of CO₂ per year from the existing kiln line, with commissioning targeted for 2029. The project will enable industrial-scale production of evoZero carbon captured near-zero cement, directly affecting embodied carbon specifications for UK infrastructure and building projects.