Displaying items by tag: Research
YTL Cement funds sustainable construction initiatives
18 October 2023Malaysia: YTL Cement has awarded a US$210,000 grant to the Construction Research Institute of Malaysia (CREAM). CREAM will use the funding for three main initiatives: the development of reduced-CO2 cement alternatives, research into more sustainable construction practices and training.
YTL Cement managing director Dato Sri Michael Yeoh said “As a company that has been assisting with the development of Malaysia for over 70 years, we know the importance of investing in our nation’s progress, while simultaneously addressing our construction needs in a sustainable manner.”
US Department of Energy grants C-Crete Technologies US$2m
17 October 2023US: The US Department of Energy has awarded C-Crete Technologies US$2m in funding. C-Crete Technologies is developing a method for using CO2 captured at industrial sources or from the air as an ingredient in its cement-free concrete. The binder will produce almost no CO2 and continue to absorb more CO2 from the air over time. It offers scalability and cost-parity with conventional cement for concrete producers, according to the developer.
C-Crete Technologies president Rouzbeh Savary said “We are committed to crafting a cement-free, carbon-negative ready-mix concrete that doesn’t just mitigate CO2 emissions but actively contributes to reversing climate change. Our aim is nothing short of revolutionising this hard-to-abate, carbon-heavy sector.”
UK: First Graphene and Breedon Group have entered into a development and commercialisation agreement. Together, the companies aim to enhance Breedon Cement’s CEM II Portland limestone cement (PLC) through the use of First Graphene’s graphene enhanced grinding aids and cement admixtures. Breedon will provide increased access to cement production lines in order to optimise the understanding of the processing environment and operating conditions.
Breedon Group’s Hope cement plant in Derbyshire previously conducted a 24-hour graphene-enhanced cement production trial on 28 June 2023.
Tarmac and Cambridge Electric Cement participate in trial melt of Cement 2 Zero carbon neutral cement project
03 October 2023UK: The Cement 2 Zero project has successfully concluded its first trial melt of recovered cement paste in an electric arc furnace at the Materials Processing Institute’s Teesside campus. The project uses the paste as flux for electric steel recycling. Cambridge Electric Cement (CEC) has demonstrated that the ‘slag’ from this process can be ground into fine clinker that, when mixed with gypsum and supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs), produces net zero CO2 cement. The Cement 2 Zero project to produce CEC’s cement at an industrial scale launched in March 2023, with US$7.85m in funding from UK Research and Innovation. Tarmac will grind the clinker from the project’s trial melts for testing in order to obtain certification and specification as a usable cement product.
Coolbrook completes RotoDynamic Heater pilot test
20 September 2023Netherlands: Finland-based Coolbrook has completed the first test phase of the large-scale pilot of its RotoDynamic Heater (RDH) at the Brightlands Chemelot Campus in Geleen, Netherlands. The engineering company says that this has validated the RDH’s technical pathway up to industrial heat generation at temperatures suitable for cement plants. By developing and launching the technology, Coolbrook says that it will rely on a ‘comprehensive partnership ecosystem,’ including market leaders in technology and industry. It says that the RDH has the potential to eliminate 2.4Bnt/yr of CO2 emissions – 30% of global industrial CO2 emissions and 7% of all global CO2 emissions.
CEO Joonas Rauramo said “Sharing our partners’ and customers’ sense of urgency to achieve net zero, we take determined actions to execute our strategy and progress towards the commercial launch of our electric technology. We are proceeding with first commercial agreements, while continuing to build our organisation and supply chain for industrial scale operations.”
Solidia Technologies patents new synthetic pozzolan
11 September 2023US: Texas-based Solidia Technologies has patented a synthetic pozzolan that may be used as a supplementary cementitious material (SCM) in cement production. The product is based on previously low-value materials, including minimally processed oil shales and clay minerals. Solidia Technologies produces the material by various methods, including firing the materials to yield a mix of crystalline components and activatable amorphous phase material. Alternatively, production may also involve the aqueous decomposition of manmade silicates in the presence of CO2.
Spain: Switzerland-based Synhelion and Cemex España plan to build a new clinker plant near Madrid. The plant will use Synhelion’s synthetic fuel to produce clinker from clay and crushed sand at 1200°C. The fuel consists of a gas produced from green hydrogen and captured CO2, using solar heat. La Tribune de Genève Online News has reported that Synhelion’s thermochemical reactor further helps to capture CO2 emissions from clinker production. A study by the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne indicated that this can halve the cost of carbon capture at cement plants, to below Euro85/t.
Imperial College London team secures government funding for carbon negative cement development
20 July 2023UK: A team at Imperial College London has won a US$1.27m grant for its research into developing carbon negative cement from silica. The research won the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ)’s Carbon Capture, Usage & Storage (CCUS) Innovation 2.0 competition. The Imperial team sources its silica from natural olivine. It says that the compound behaves in the same way as other supplementary cementitious materials. Meanwhile, magnesia from the decomposition of the olivine can serve as a carbon sink in the form of magnesium carbonate. It, in turn, could serve as a raw material for concrete block production.
The DESNZ’s Net Zero Innovation Portfolio, of which the CCUS Innovation 2.0 competition is a part, has a budget of US$1.29bn.
Japan: A team at the University of Tokyo has developed cement-free alternative concrete from ultra-fine sand and fly ash. NHK has reported that the process uses recyclable alcohols and has lower CO2 emissions compared to concrete production using ordinary Portland cement. Research with industrial partners into possible construction sector applications is underway. Partnerships with Japanese ready-mixed concrete producers are reportedly also under discussion.
Further information is available from Yuzo Tobisaka, an independent Japanese consultant in the cement and ready-mixed concrete industry, at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Global Cement and Concrete Association announces Innovandi Open Challenge 2023 shortlist
30 June 2023World: The Global Cement and Concrete Association (GCCA) has named the 15 anticipated deliverers of low-CO2 cement and concrete production shortlisted for participation in its second Innovandi Open Challenge. The association chose the start-ups based on their potential to deliver CO2 emissions reduction in the global cement and concrete sector in line with its Concrete Future 2050 Net Zero Roadmap. The applicants are presenting their pitches to GCCA members on 30 June 2023. All those accepted will gain access to members' plants, labs, networks and expertise. The following start-ups made the Innovandi Open Challenge 2023 shortlist:
Arrakis Materials |
US |
Carbon negative materials for concrete |
Chement |
US |
Room temperature cement production |
EcoAdmix Global |
UK |
Nanotechnology ('HDT') for concrete |
EcoLocked |
Germany |
Biocarbon-based admixtures |
EnviCore |
Canada |
Low temperature supplementary cementitious material production |
Enzymatic |
US |
Carbon negative enzymatic concrete corrosion inhibition and recycling |
Louis Structures |
US |
Municipal solid waste-based lightweight aggregates |
MEP - SeaMix |
US |
Basalt fibre and graphene-based admixture |
Nano Crete |
US |
Graphene-enhanced CO2 sequestration |
Nanospan India |
India |
Graphene-based admixture |
NeoCrete |
New Zealand |
Nano-activator for natural pozzolans |
Queens Carbon |
US |
~500°C cementitious materials production |
The Cool Corporation |
UK |
Carbon negative carbon nanotube-based additive for concrete |
Ultra High Materials |
US |
Clinkerless cement |
Versarien Graphene |
UK |
Graphene-based admixture ('Cementene') |
GCCA cement director and innovation lead Claude Loréa said “We received more than 70 quality applications, so drawing up a shortlist was challenging." Loréa continued "Our essential industry needs something easily scalable and affordable. Those start-ups on the list demonstrated the most potential, and we look forward to hearing more about their ideas. But we’ll also be keeping in touch with other start-ups who didn’t make this year’s shortlist, with future projects in mind.”