{"data":{"news":{"items":[{"title":"How coffee grounds help produce greener concrete","date":"2025-12-04 00:35:05","id":6103,"author":"","blurb":"","blurb_image_uid":"https://dxfpracgmlczp.cloudfront.net/2025/11/1764434388683_HiVis_BS_120924005 copy.jpg","blurb_expanded_image_uid":null,"article":"\n\t\n\n\n

Australia’s RMIT University researchers are advancing new ways to cut the carbon footprint of infrastructure by turning everyday organic waste into useful construction materials.

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A life-cycle analysis has shown, for the first time, that biochar made from spent coffee grounds can help produce a lower‑carbon concrete while supporting strength benefits seen in earlier lab trials.

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Earlier experiments by the RMIT team heated used coffee grounds at about 350°C without oxygen to make a fine biochar. When this replaced 15% of sand in concrete, 28‑day strength increased by about 30%, pointing to a practical way to reduce pressure on natural sand supplies.

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Building on that foundation, a new study led by Dr Jingxuan Zhang and Dr Mohammad Saberian presents a comprehensive life cycle assessment – a cradle‑to‑grave analysis that measures carbon emissions, resource use and other environmental impacts from production through to end of life.

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The results show life‑cycle carbon dioxide reductions of 15, 23 and 26% at 5, 10 and 15% biochar replacing sand, along with up to 31% lower use of fossil fuels and improvements in impacts on rivers and lakes.

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Dr Zhang, from the School of Engineering, affirmed that the findings strengthened the case for real‑world trials. “We showed that coffee biochar can cut concrete’s carbon footprint in the scenarios we assessed, while earlier trials demonstrated strength gains using the same approach,” she shared.

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Professor Chun-Qing Li, who provided guidance to the team, pointed out that the innovation turned organic waste into a practical ingredient for lower‑carbon infrastructure. “Using moderate amounts of coffee biochar offers a clear, measurable pathway to lower‑impact concrete,” he noted.

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According to Dr Saberian, the team was already engaging with industry as well as state and local governments on construction projects. “Next steps include larger pilots, mix optimisation and alignment with standards so projects can adopt this confidently,” he said, adding that “we welcome collaboration on supply chains and field deployments.”

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RMIT and partners have already advanced public demonstrations, including a footpath pilot and the first coffee‑biochar concrete section on the Victorian Big Build, and showcased the concept through the National Gallery of Victoria’s Making Good: Redesigning the Everyday exhibition.

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The study, ‘Carbon footprint reduction in concrete using spent coffee grounds biochar: a life cycle perspective’, has been published in the International Journal of Construction Management.

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Image credits:
\nImage 1: HiVis Pictures
\nImage 2,3,4 & 5: Carelle Mulawa-Richards, RMIT University

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Open for local and international collaboration: Prospective industry and government partners interested in pilots, product development or supply‑chain scale‑up can contact RMIT’s research partnerships team at: research.partnerships@rmit.edu.au

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\n\n\n","article_image_uid":"https://dxfpracgmlczp.cloudfront.net/2025/11/1764477361065_news-coffee-footpath-birds-eye-view-1220px copy.jpg","article_expanded_image_uid":null,"article_image_caption":"Bird’s eye view of a coffee concrete footpath being laid along a busy road in Pakenham, Victoria.","publications":"7","tags":"concrete,industry research,low carbon concrete,sustainable concrete,RMIT University","category":"Others"},{"title":"Sea sponge inspires super strong compressible material","date":"2025-03-19 01:13:57","id":5758,"author":"","blurb":"","blurb_image_uid":"https://dxfpracgmlczp.cloudfront.net/2025/03/1741962801756_Jiaming_lattice_MEDIA copy.jpg","blurb_expanded_image_uid":null,"article":"\n\t\n\n\n

Inspired by the humble deep-sea sponge, Australia’s RMIT University engineers have developed a new material with remarkable compressive strength and stiffness that could improve architectural and product designs.

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The double lattice design was inspired by the intricate skeleton of a deep-sea sponge known as Venus’ flower basket, which lives in the Pacific Ocean.

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Lead author of the latest RMIT study into the structure, Dr Jiaming Ma, said extensive testing and optimisation revealed the pattern’s impressive combination of stiffness and strength, mixed with an ability to contract when compressed.

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It’s this last aspect – known as auxetic behaviour – that opens a whole range of possibilities to apply the design across structural engineering and other applications.

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“While most materials get thinner when stretched or fatter when squashed, like rubber, auxetics do the opposite,” said Dr Ma. “Auxetics can absorb and distribute impact energy effectively, making them extremely useful.”

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Natural auxetic materials include tendons and cat skin, while synthetic ones are used to make heart and vascular stents that expand and contract as required.

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But while auxetic materials have useful properties, their low stiffness and limited energy absorption capacity limits their applications. The team’s nature-inspired double lattice design is significant because it overcomes these main drawbacks.

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“Each lattice on its own has traditional deformation behaviour, but if you combine them as nature does in the deep-sea sponge, then it regulates itself and holds its form and outperforms similar materials by quite a significant margin,” said Dr Ma.

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Potential applications

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Results published in ‘Composite Structures’ show with the same amount of material usage, the lattice is 13 times stiffer than existing auxetic materials, which are based on re-entrant honeycomb designs. It can also absorb 10% more energy while maintaining its auxetic behaviour with a 60% greater strain range compared to existing designs.

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Dr Ngoc San Ha said the unique combination of these properties opened several exciting applications for their new material. “This bioinspired auxetic lattice provides the most solid foundation yet for us to develop next generation sustainable building,” he said.

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“Our auxetic metamaterial with high stiffness and energy absorption could offer significant benefits across multiple sectors, from construction materials to protective equipment and sports gear or medical applications.”

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The bioinspired lattice structure could work as a steel building frame, for example, allowing less steel and concrete to be used to achieve similar results as a traditional frame.

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The structure could also form the basis of lightweight sports protective equipment, bullet proof vests or medical implants.

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Honorary Professor Mike Xie said the project highlighted the value in taking inspiration from nature. “Not only does biomimicry create beautiful and elegant designs like this one, but it also creates smart designs that have been optimised through millions of years of evolution that we can learn from.”

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Next steps

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The team at RMIT’s Centre for Innovative Structures and Materials has tested the design using computer simulations and lab testing on a 3D printed sample made from thermoplastic polyurethane.

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They now plan to produce steel versions of the design to use along with concrete and rammed earth structures – a construction technique using compacted natural raw materials.

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“While this design could have promising applications in sports equipment, PPE and medical applications, our main focus is on the building and construction aspect,” said Dr Ma.

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“We’re developing a more sustainable building material by using our design’s unique combination of outstanding auxeticity, stiffness and energy absorption to reduce steel and cement usage in construction.

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“Its auxetic and energy-absorbing features could also help dampen vibrations during earthquakes.”

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The team is also planning to integrate this design with machine learning algorithms for further optimisation and to create programmable materials.

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All images and video: RMIT University

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Note: ‘Auxetic behavior and energy absorption characteristics of a lattice structure inspired by deep-sea sponge’ is published in Composite Structures.

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