Displaying items by tag: NeoCrete

New Zealand: Neocrete has entered a partnership with major cement manufacturers, including Cemex, Heidelberg Materials, CRH, Titan, Cementos Argos and Ultratech Cement to promote its new Activator product aimed at reducing the amount of cement required in concrete. The product uses volcanic ash or residual ash from industrial processes to cut the amount of cement required by 40% to 50%, according to the company. Neocrete aims to replace cement completely, resulting in carbon-free concrete, by 2027. The new product will be submitted for life cycle assessment once a new pilot plant in Mt Wellington is operational. The plant is valued at US$2m and will produce 0.12Mt/yr of cement, to meet 10% of New Zealand’s demand.

Co-founder Zarina Bazoeva said "We don't need to produce the whole volume of cement. We activate the concrete chemically with a small catalyst at 3kg compared to 100kg of cement. So, we can scale fast."

Global: The Global Cement and Concrete Association (GCCA) has announced new collaborations between global cement manufacturers and technology start-ups, focusing on the development of low carbon concrete. Four start-ups—EnviCore in Canada, Queens Carbon and Chement, both in the US and NeoCrete in New Zealand—were part of the 2023 GCCA Innovandi Open Challenge and have now partnered with cement manufacturers. These partnerships aim to reduce the carbon footprint of concrete.

The startups will receive access to industry plants, labs and networks to fast-track their technologies. They will also demonstrate their progress on 6th June 2024 in Bangkok, Thailand, during the GCCA's CEO and Leaders Conference. The association continues its efforts under the 2050 Net Zero Concrete Roadmap, with 29 new start-ups shortlisted this year to work on carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS) technology.

New Zealand: Neocrete, a New Zealand start-up that decarbonises concrete production, has raised US$4m in seed funding. Wavemaker Partners, a Singapore-based venture capital firm, led the funding round with a 15% stake for US$2.7m. The funding also included contributions from five other investors, including NZ Green Investment Finance, which acquired a 3.8% share for US$700,000. Neocrete, founded in 2018, has developed an additive that can reduce the cement in concrete by 30-50% without loss in strength, increasing its durability.

Wavemaker Partners' managing partner Paul Santos said "Neocrete is designed to scale rapidly by using a cost-efficient production process that can leverage existing infrastructure."

Zarina Bazoeva, Neocrete co-founder and CEO, said that the funding will enable the company "to scale to meet initial global demand for Neocrete’s additive”. The company plans to complete setting up an Auckland manufacturing facility and scale up a research and development programme, "which is on track to produce cement-free, zero-carbon concrete by 2027,” according to Bazoeva.

New Zealand: Neocrete has launched an investment round to raise over US$1.86m in funding. The start-up will use the funds to build an industrial-scale plant for its Neocrete activator for pozzolan-based concrete. The use of Neocrete's activator can eliminate up to 50% of cement in concrete. Neocrete aims to ultimately displace 100% of concrete's cement content. The Hawke's Bay Today newspaper has reported that pozzolan-based concrete made using Neocrete's additive offers resilience benefits compared to conventional ordinary Portland cement (OPC)-based concrete. It is especially suited construction in seawater-exposed settings.

World: 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:

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.”