Mevo A1 production facility launched in Wrexham
Material Evolution announce UK’s largest ultra-low-carbon cement plant now operational
MATERIAL Evolution, the start-up aiming to radically decarbonize the world’s most common construction material, announced today that its first-of-a-kind ultra-low-carbon cement production plant has launched in Wrexham.
The ultra-low-carbon cement production facility has been commissioned and is operating on an industrial scale, making it the UK’s biggest producer of ultra-low-carbon cement. The factory was officially opened with a ribbon-cutting ceremony attended by Phil Parkinson, manager of local football club Wrexham AFC.
The Mevo A1 production facility produced its first batch of ultra-low-carbon cement in October 2024, on schedule and just eight months after construction work began on site. The facility has capacity to produce 120,000 tonnes of Material Evolution’s pioneering MevoCem product, which reduces CO2 emissions by up to 85% compared with ordinary Portland cement.
The ground-breaking factory uses no heat or kilns to combine the constituent ingredients of its cement – contrary to the traditional production process that is under scrutiny for its vast carbon output. Instead, the production facility relies on Material Evolution’s patented alkali-fusion process to produce a cement capable of undergoing geopolymerization.
‘This launch takes us one step closer to achieving our goal of removing one gigatonne of CO2 by 2040,’ said Sam Clark, co-founder and chief operating officer of Material Evolution.
‘Constructing a first-of-a-kind facility in just eight months is a massive undertaking, but our modular construction and lean design principles not only allowed us to move rapidly, but also means our approach is highly scalable.’
Mr Clark continued: ‘We hope this facility proves that cement and concrete decarbonization is not only a possibility in the future – it’s a reality on the ground today. We look forward to working with government agencies, trade bodies, and concrete specifiers on our mission to realize the green transition here in the UK.’
The plant is located in Llay, Wrexham, on the site of CCP Building Products, producers of pre-cast concrete blocks. This co-location marks a first-of-its-kind approach to cement and concrete production under one roof, further reducing the carbon footprint of the end product due to lower transport requirements.
Material Evolution funded the Mevo A1 production facility’s construction in part through the £15 million Series A funding round they raised in 2023, which included strategic investment from SigmaRoc, CCP Building Products’ parent company.
‘We are thrilled to see the Mevo A1 production facility up and running, marking a significant milestone in low-carbon cement production in the UK,’ said Michael Roddy, regional manager director North West at SigmaRoc. ‘This project aligns with SigmaRoc’s commitment to sustainable development, and we are proud to support Material Evolution in driving innovation that transforms the industry.’
The 120m2 plant was designed to combine and react waste feedstocks using lean manufacturing techniques. Material is transported around the plant using state-of-the-art material-handling processes, allowing its overall footprint to be far smaller than the average UK cement factory. By using a modular design, the Mevo A1 production facility is flexible in terms of supply chain and raw material requirements, allowing for adaptation to new cement technology and innovation.
Founded in 2020 by Dr Liz Gilligan and Sam Clark, Material Evolution aim to help revolutionize the £500 billion concrete industry using patented alkali fusion technology and AI algorithms to develop next-generation sustainable materials.
