DUBAI  Tadweer, the Ministry of Energy & Infrastructure, Masdar City and GIGA Graphene Technologies (GGT) have entered into a landmark partnership agreement to develop Graphene Innovations Manchester’s (GIM) GIM Concrete in the UAE.

This highly sustainable product is developed using recycled waste, showcasing the impact and importance of the circular economy.

The agreement was signed by Sharif Al Olama, Undersecretary for Energy and Petroleum Affairs, Ministry of Energy & Infrastructure; Eng. Ali Al Dhaheri, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Tadweer; and Eng. Mohamed Al Breiki, the Executive Director of Sustainable Development of Masdar City. Waleed Al Ali, Chairman of GGT.

GIM Concrete is enhanced by graphene and was developed by GIM, a spinout from the University of Manchester and a GGT partner. In addition to graphene, GIM Concrete is made with recycled plastic, cures quickly, and does not require fresh water dramatically reducing CO2 emissions.

The initial products the GIM Concrete will be used for include bricks, pavers and tiles within the UAE’s construction industry.

Sharif Al Olama, Undersecretary for Energy and Petroleum Affairs, Ministry of Energy & Infrastructure, commented: “This MOU symbolises how various stakeholders can work together to address the challenges we are facing today when it comes to climate change, this is an excellent example of not only addressing the challenge but rather coming up with a commercially and economically viable solution.”

Edward Hobart, the UK ambassador to the UAE said: “Great to see fruition of this exciting UK-UAE collaboration with key partners to develop Manchester Graphene innovation on a big scale to decarbonise such a relevant sector as the built environment not only in UAE but the Global South too.”

Eng. Ali Al Dhaheri, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Tadweer, added:“Tadweer is proud to work with like-minded organizations, including GGT and GIM, to drive positive change and highlight the power of the circular economy. This agreement represents a key opportunity for our company to highlight waste as a valuable resource locally and internationally. Partnerships such as these helps drive forward our vision of becoming Abu Dhabi’s waste management champion, and a global industry player.”
“The demand for green materials is growing, but wide-scale adoption has been limited,” said Eng. Mohamed Al Breiki, Masdar City’s Executive Director of Sustainable Development. “By working together, we can identify the enablers required to support the materials innovation and accelerate the use of eco-friendly materials to help reduce the negative impact on the environment in the context of circular economy.”

Waleed Al Ali, Chairman of GGT stated: “This is a major milestone for our recently formed company, based in Masdar City, as we aim to take Sustainable GIM Concrete throughout the UAE. This is an important step towards using GIM developed technology to build a Graphene-based GIGA Factory in the UAE.”

Dr. Vivek Koncherry, Managing Director of GGT and CEO of GIM concluded: “We are proud to see the commercialisation of our award-winning and groundbreaking graphene and AI-based solutions for sustainable applications that have been backed by decades of research undertaken in the United Kingdom.”

By 2050, 3.5 billion tonnes of waste is expected to be generated annually. Construction demolitions account for 30% of total waste. Tadweer has pioneered the concept of a circular economy and promoting waste as a valuable source among local and global communities. This, in turn, supports the use of GIM Concrete by using recycled waste to develop this highly sustainable, graphene-enhanced product.