Gdańsk Tech Student Wins Holcim Competition for Innovation in Concrete Technology
Alicja Lenkiewicz, a civil engineering student at the Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Gdańsk Tech, won 1st place in the nationwide competition "Decarbonization, Circularity, and Innovations in Concrete Technology." The jury appreciated her project "Reactivation of Dormant Cement in Recycling Powder."
Alicja Lenkiewicz, a civil engineering student at the Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Gdańsk Tech, won 1st place in the nationwide competition "Decarbonization, Circularity, and Innovations in Concrete Technology." The jury appreciated her project "Reactivation of Dormant Cement in Recycling Powder."
The competition organized by Holcim Polska accompanied the Concrete Technology 2026 Conference. Participants presented ideas that can help reduce raw material consumption, reuse recycled materials, and lessen the environmental impact of construction.
Second Life for Recycled Materials
The highest rated project was submitted by Alicja Lenkiewicz from Gdańsk Tech. Her project concerns the reuse of materials derived from recycling by activating their binding properties. In practice, this means that a material that could otherwise be treated as waste regains value and can be used again in concrete technology.
Alicja Lenkiewicz is studying Civil and Environmental Engineering at the Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Gdańsk Tech. Her winning project demonstrates how crucial the search for solutions that better utilize materials already in circulation is becoming for the development of this industry.
The competition also awarded other ideas related to the use of secondary raw materials and the reduction of concrete’s environmental footprint, including projects concerning ash from sewage sludge, recycled HDPE fibers, carbonation of concrete mixtures, and porcelain aggregate.