A team led by Circular Design Cement is developing a new approach to construction materials that uses recycled waste as aggregates in cement-based products. The project has tested 17 different waste materials, including glass, ceramics, eggshells, and ocean plastics, to create thinner, lower-carbon building tiles. Testing showed that certain combinations of these materials were incompatible with the alkaline cement environment, but a mix of five materials - eggshells, ceramics, glass, oyster shells, and iron oxide - demonstrated potential for use in building products. The team aims to create more efficient construction materials without compromising performance or visual appeal.
Written by the local model on 2026-09-09,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Cement is one of the most widely used materials in construction, but its production comes with a high environmental cost.
asserted
production → use → cost
Circular Design Cement, a 2026 James Dyson Award project, is exploring a new approach to construction materials.
asserted
Cement → explore → materials
The project uses everyday waste and industrial byproducts as recycled aggregates in cement-based materials designed for architectural applications.
asserted
project → use → applications
The work replaces some conventional aggregates with materials such as eggshells, glass, ceramics and oyster shells while using blast furnace slag cement as a lower-carbon binder.
asserted
work → replace → binder
These recycled materials can be turned into thin boards, tiles and small architectural products that retain strength, function and visual appeal while using fewer natural resources.
asserted
that → recycle → resources
How Circular Design Cement turns waste into building material
asserted
Cement → turn → material
Circular Design Cement starts with the idea that construction materials do not always need to rely on newly extracted resources.
asserted
materials → start → resources
The project uses recycled waste as aggregates and combines them with blast furnace slag cement.
asserted
project → use → cement
Materials are crushed, cut, or separated before being mixed with the binder.
asserted
Materials → crush → binder
The mixture is poured into moulds and shaped through press dewatering, which compacts the material while removing excess water.
asserted
which → pour → water
It is cured naturally or with steam rather than being fired at high temperatures.
asserted
It → cure → temperatures
The approach can produce cement boards, tiles, and architectural products.
asserted
approach → produce → boards
Testing examined bending strength, impact resistance, and dimensional stability across formulations.
asserted
Testing → examine → formulations
PC: AI Generated
How recycled materials are changing the design of cement boards
asserted
materials → generate → boards
The project addresses two major challenges in construction that are the environmental impact of cement production and pressure on resources such as sand and gravel.
asserted
that → address → sand
Circular Design Cement explores thinner cement boards that can reduce material use while providing useful performance.
asserted
that → explore → performance
Its inspiration partly came from thick, heavily coated cement boards seen in Japan.
asserted
inspiration → come → Japan
The designers explored fibre reinforcement and lower-carbon binders to develop a different approach to these products.
asserted
designers → explore → products
The project also draws inspiration from early reinforced cement innovations associated with Joseph Monier.
asserted
project → draw → Monier
By combining a thinner form with recycled inputs, it aims to make construction materials more efficient without losing practical qualities.
asserted
materials → combine → qualities
17 waste materials tested for stronger building tiles
asserted
materials → test → tiles
The design process tested 17 waste materials in 7.5-centimetre tiles.
asserted
process → test → tiles
The materials included glass, ceramics, wood chips, denim fibres, hair, eggshells, oyster shells, ocean plastics, fishing nets, receipts and iron oxide from disposable hand warmers.
asserted
materials → include → warmers
Different mixture ratios revealed possibilities and limitations.
asserted
ratios → reveal → possibilities
Wood-chip mixtures retained too much water, while eggshell-based mixtures presented other challenges.
asserted
mixtures → retain → challenges
Hair was found to be incompatible with the alkaline cement environment.
asserted
Hair → find → environment
After this testing, eggshells, ceramics, glass, oyster shells, and iron oxide were selected for validation.
asserted
eggshells → select → validation
The team then refined the mixing, pressing, and curing process before comparing materials with conventional cement boards through mechanical tests.
asserted
team → refine → tests
How recycled materials can strengthen cement products
The selected materials were tested after the manufacturing process.
asserted
materials → strengthen → process
Some formulations recorded bending strengths of up to 16.1 N/mm², exceeding those of conventional cement boards.
asserted
formulations → record → boards
The material also uses Type B blast furnace slag cement, which has a lower reported carbon emission factor than ordinary Portland cement.
asserted
which → use → cement
The binder can reduce the need for conventional sand after combining with recycled aggregates.
asserted
binder → reduce → aggregates
The designers also explored the visual possibilities of waste materials, including the textures and colours they could create.
uncertain
they → explore → textures
A denim-reinforced flowerpot prototype further showed how the approach could be used beyond flat cement boards.
uncertain
approach → reinforce → boards
Further tests will focus on durability and recycling
The project is being developed, with next steps focused on making the material more reliable and practical.
asserted
material → focus → durability
The team plans to carry out further testing, including assessments of fire and water resistance.
asserted
team → plan → fire
It also aims to scale the work from small prototypes to full-size boards while refining the life cycle assessment.
asserted
It → aim → assessment
As production grows, securing a consistent supply of suitable waste materials will become important.
asserted
securing → grow → materials
The team also plans to explore whether the products can be recycled after use.
asserted
products → plan → use
The project ultimately brings waste recovery and lower-impact construction together through a single material approach.
asserted
project → bring → approach
