Concretene wins £1m Ofwat grant for biogas-graphene concrete
What's the deal? UK startup ConcreteneDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → has secured £1M as part of a £10M award from OfwatDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →'s Water Innovation Fund to develop low-carbon concrete using graphene produced from wastewater biogas. The project, called "Splitting Biogas, Multiplying Value," was named a winner in Ofwat's sixth Water Breakthrough Challenge on May 19, 2026.
The collaboration is led by United UtilitiesDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → from its Davyhulme wastewater treatment works in Manchester. Partners include TarmacDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, graphene producer Levidian, hydrogen firm ULEMCo, and battery tech company Carbon-ionDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →. Four additional water companies — AnglianDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, South-WestDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, WessexDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, and YorkshireDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → — are also involved.
Why now? Graphene can enhance concrete's strength and durability while cutting cement content — cement being the most carbon-intensive ingredient. But two barriers have blocked adoption: inconsistent quality at scale and high cost.
The project tackles both. Levidian's LOOP process uses microwave energy to split methane from wastewater biogas into hydrogen and solid carbon, producing highly consistent graphene nanoplatelets. Because it runs on biogas and renewable electricity, this method delivers a significant net CO2 reduction compared to conventional graphene production from mined graphite — of which the UK has no industrial-scale source.
Lab tests and scaled trials have shown 15–20% cement savings using Concretene's biogas-derived graphene admixture. The company says it can offer cost-neutrality at scale: the price of the admixture equals the cost of the cement it replaces.
What could go wrong? The technology still needs to prove itself in real-world deployment. Scaling from lab trials to commercial infrastructure projects is a well-known valley of death for advanced materials. Consistency and cost advantages demonstrated in controlled settings don't always survive contact with the messy realities of construction sites and supply chains.
The water sector is also under intense financial pressure in the UK, which could complicate procurement decisions even if the product works as advertised.
The signal: Concretene is at the early growth stage, and this £1M grant from a government body like Ofwat — rather than venture capital — reflects the reality that deep-tech materials startups in commodity sectors often need public funding to bridge the gap between lab validation and commercial adoption. The involvement of five water companies and an established player like Tarmac suggests genuine industry pull, which could position Concretene for a larger private funding round if the trials deliver.
Read more: concretene.co.uk
