Scaling Up End-of-Life Tyre Utilisation in Irish Cement Manufacturing through Comparative
Life Cycle Assessment
Ireland’s cement industry relies heavily on imported fossil fuels, while end-of-life tyres offer a valuable alternative energy source. However, wider industrial adoption requires reliable evidence of environmental performance and scalability. This project will undertake an independent comparative life cycle assessment of end-of-life tyres managed through the Circol ELT compliance scheme against imported petroleum coke and conventional cement kiln fuels. Different fuel substitution and scale-up scenarios will be evaluated to identify environmental benefits, potential trade-offs and opportunities for increased utilisation. The findings will support Circol ELT in expanding industrial adoption, improving resource efficiency and contributing to lower-carbon cement manufacturing in Ireland.
Lead RPO: University College Dublin
Lead PI: Ciaran McNally
Industry Partners: CircolELT
Collaborators
Dr. Ciaran McNally
Associate Professor at University College Dublin
Dr Ciaran McNally is a civil engineer and obtained his PhD in 2001 for his work on alkali aggregate reaction in Irish concretes. Subsequent to that he joined the Centre for Materials and Manufacturing in UCD, where he worked as a research engineer, covering materials research, product development, process certification and technology transfer to industry. He is currently a lecturer in the School of Civil Engineering and in 2015 obtained a Professional Diploma in Teaching and Learning. To date Dr McNally has won over 2 million Euro in research funding. He has coordinated both European and national projects, including the 3.2 million Euro Marie Curie Initial Training Network TEAM (grant no 238648). His research covers a wide array of materials, including concrete, asphalt and FRP. In recent years he has extended this to include digital design and optimisation. To date, he has published over 100 peer reviewed papers.
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