The Shropshire company's low carbon acrylic materials are currently used by artists and designers, as well as for building structures on film sets. Under the new knowledge transfer partnership, the university and company will explore whether, with the addition of biochar, they could be used more widely in construction as an alternative to cement, with a focus on facades and surfaces.
The project will involve biochar and sustainable materials researchers from across the Energy and Bioproducts Research Institute (EBRI) and the Department of Civil Engineering. Working closely with the company, they will redevelop Jesmonite materials in ways that reduce their carbon footprint.
Professor Mujib Rahman from Aston's department of civil engineering said:,鈥淭his project fits perfectly with our research and the specialist facilities here at Aston University, both in the Energy and Bioproducts Research Institute and in civil engineering. To be able to support a leading UK company like Jesmonite to move towards low-carbon products is incredibly rewarding, putting our expertise in sustainable construction materials into real world application.鈥�
Piran Littleton, managing director at Jesmonite Ltd, said, 鈥淭his KTP gives us a unique opportunity to access specialist facilities and research expertise at Aston, to look at our materials at a molecular level and really understand the processes involved. We鈥檙e a small company, producing a high-end product, but the KTP will allow us to open up a wider marketplace across the construction section, which is a very exciting prospect.鈥�
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