Displaying items by tag: graphene

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.”

Brazil: Gerdau Graphene has launched NanoCONS, a new line of graphene-based admixtures for concrete. Graphene-Info News has reported that NanoCONS increases the durability and strength of concrete, while lowering its CO₂ emissions by 20%, according to the developer. Gerdau Graphene noted that the first product in the line, water-based NanoCONS W104, offers faster drying times, making it well-suited to use in precast concrete production.

US: Premier Graphene has despatched test samples of its proprietary graphene suspension to ‘one of the largest essential materials companies.’ Graphene-Info News has reported that Premier Graphene expects the samples to confirm its findings of a 32% increase in compressive strength after 28 days, compared to concrete produced without its graphene.

President Pedro Mendez said "Our internal tests have confirmed multiple advantages that position our green cement product strongly in the market. These include increased strength with reduced cement usage, substantial carbon footprint reduction and enhanced durability. We anticipate strong market adoption driven by our cost-effective graphene production methods and established, remarkable efficacy. Our strategy encompasses both graphene colloids for customised mixing by manufacturers and the development of graphene-based products like epoxies and lubricants. This phased approach minimises capital expenditure while maximising product innovation.”

Spain: CRH’s Catalonian ready-mix concrete subsidiary Beton Catalan has partnered with Grapheno Smart Materials in order to implement the latter’s graphene technology in its high-performance concrete products.

Beton Catalan’s quality director Alberto Arenillas said that the company’s high-performance concrete products require ‘a significant amount of CEM I cement,’ He said “By introducing the graphene additive, the nominal amounts of this cement can be reduced or changed to cement with a lower carbon footprint, improving its performance.” The company will sell the graphene-enriched concrete under its BeGreen reduced-CO₂ products label.

UK: Concrene Limited has obtained a US patent for its Graphene Reinforced Concrete technology. The technology uses graphene dispersed in water to create a uniform distribution of graphene particles in concrete. Graphene increases the strength of concrete, enabling less cement to be used in its production.

Concrene Limited invited interested US stakeholders to discuss opportunities for commercial partnerships.