Displaying items by tag: funding

UK: Graphene-enhanced concrete admixture developer Concretene has raised €3.5m in an investment round led by technology venture capital (VC) firm Molten Ventures. Fellow VC LocalGlobe supplied additional funding. Concretene says that the finances will support scale-up and product certification of its liquid admixture. The product increases various performance metrics of concrete, while reducing cement requirements, according to the developer. It derives its graphene from industrial by-products from the energy sector.

Concretene chief operating officer Mike Harrison said "We’re delighted to welcome Molten Ventures to join with us and LocalGlobe on our mission to decarbonise concrete. We also want to thank LocalGlobe for their enthusiasm and support in getting Concretene off the ground. Our team in Manchester has a unique combination of expertise and experience across construction and nanomaterial science, which will enable us to deliver our next stage of development and earn industry confidence and certification.”

George Chalmers, head of climate at Molten Ventures, said "Concretene has made tremendous strides in getting its technology out of the lab and into meaningful real-world projects and applications. Its solution, viable today, is poised to make a meaningful impact in reducing emissions in one of the hardest to abate sectors. We are delighted to support Concretene’s world-class team of scientists and operators in scaling its solution across the industry.”

Canada: Canal Block will begin to produce CarbiCrete's cement-free concrete products under licence from 2025. The partners say that they have installed a new curing system for the purpose at Canal Block’s Port Colborne plant. Innovation cluster NGen awarded them US$4.04m in funding for the project.

Canal Block president Durk Bylsma said "We look forward to offering a carbon-negative masonry unit to Ontario's construction market in 2025.”

CEO Jacob Homiller said "We are tremendously pleased to bring our cement-free concrete technology to Ontario through Canal Block."

Canada: The Sarjeant has inaugurated its new Parry Sound ready-mix concrete plant. The plant is intended to help meet growing demand and support the growth of the local construction industry. Local press has reported that the project was partly funded by a US$298,000 grant from the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation. In turn, The Sarjeant donated US$37,100 to the Let’s Make a Splash campaign for construction of the upcoming West Parry Sound Recreation and Cultural Centre.

US: Heidelberg Materials North America has won up to US$5m from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for the development of a web-based tool to generate environmental product declarations (EPDs) for ready-mix concrete and other building materials. The finances are part of a total US$160m in EPA funding for the decarbonisation of building materials.

Heidelberg Materials North America president and CEO of Chris Ward said "With this funding, Heidelberg Materials can accelerate the push for more sustainable construction materials and transparency across the industry, while also helping our customers make more informed decisions when choosing products with a lower carbon footprint."

US: The Department of Transportation has announced a US$5m initiative to investigate the use of steel slag in cement and concrete. This will take the form of a collaboration between the Department of Transportation and a selected US-based steel producer and university partner. The initiative seeks to reduce CO₂ emissions in the production of building materials. Prospective participants may view the grant opportunity here.

Transport secretary Pete Buttigieg said "We're proud to make this funding available to help develop the next generation of construction materials so that the future of our transport infrastructure is more resilient, more sustainable and made in America.”

Robert Hampshire, deputy assistant secretary for research and technology and chief science officer, said “This funding initiative will develop and advance innovative materials and technologies that support the nation’s goals to decarbonise the transportation sector by 2050, strengthen resilience of the nation’s transportation infrastructure, and address adverse environmental impacts created by the transportation system.”