Webinar title: Closing the Concrete Loop

Speaker: Theodore Hanein

Webinar time: September 7th, 2024 (Saturday) 10:30

Venue: Room 231, New Environmental Building, Minhang campus

Inviter: Yong Geng, Meng Li

Abstract:

Concrete like all other building materials, made of earth, is for the people, and should be locally sourced from their own land. For a truly circular economy in the concrete industry, we must first define the loops, and then plan how to close them. In this talk, I will present genuine pathways for a sustainable future and show you that supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs), although needed in the short term, are actually poisoning our building stock – causing more problems for future generations to solve. We live in an era full of challenges and opportunities; but through this talk (that I dedicate to the many lost innocent lives and homes), we will discuss hope, and perhaps give some consolation to those people whose homes have become rubble, that their loss may inspire, educate, and bring positive change to our world: enabling us to close the concrete loop.

For those coming to the talk, some homework! Please think before coming, 1) do we need monopolies in this industry? and 2) is “economies of scale” appropriate in a circular economy?

About the speaker:

Theodore Hanein is Professor of Construction Materials Science in the School of Civil Engineering at the University of Leeds and a UKRI Future Leaders Fellow on Green Circular and Smart Cement Manufacture. He is a world renowned scientist and innovator, a master strategist, and a maverick visionary. Related to his talk, Theo is leading and creating innovation on the decentralization of cement and concrete manufacture (mobile, modular, electric, and truly circular). Theo is also co-founder of United earth4Earth Holding that develops and produces life-cycle carbon negative bulk chemicals and construction materials. And for the formalities: Theo has 2 undergraduate degrees in Chemistry and Chemical Engineering from the University of Balamand in Lebanon; then, he graduated from the University of Manchester (2012) with a Masters in Advanced Process Design and Integration and then from the University of Aberdeen (2016) with a PhD in Cement/Clinker Thermochemistry. Following, he began working at Sheffield (until March 2024), where he was promoted twice from postdoc to assistant professor and then associate professor. He is Vice President of the board of ISCOWA, and Associate Editor of the journals Advances in Cement Research and Materials Reports: Solidwaste and Ecomaterials.