Displaying items by tag: sustainability

UK: Cemex has announced an upcoming dry mortar and sprayed concrete production plant in Swindon, Wiltshire. The plant will produce Cemex UK’s 30% reduced-CO₂ Vertua mortar. It will also feature a drying system designed to minimise heat consumption. The Builders Merchants Journal newspaper has reported that the plant is scheduled to open in late 2025. The move is aimed at increasing Cemex’s market penetration in South East and South West England.

UK: Construction firm John Sisk & Son has successfully concluded its construction of part of the Wembley Park mixed development using concrete produced with Ecocem’s ACT alternative circular cement. The concrete met design specifications for all elements, while reducing embodied CO₂ emissions by 70%. Construction Index News has reported that Capital Concrete and Creagh Concrete also participated in the project, which commanded €594,000 in Innovate UK funding.

Romania: Holcim Romania has invested €700,000 to upgrade its Stancesti aggregates plant in Prahova County. The investment included €450,000 towards a water recirculation and purification plant. Following the completion of works, the Stancesti plant now draws 80% less water.

US: CarbonQuest has secured US$20m in funding to scale its modular CO₂ capture system. ESG Today News has reported that the funds will help the company to explore additional markets. It currently has systems deployed at six sites in New York City, where it supplies captured CO₂ to local precast concrete producers for sequestration in concrete blocks.

Australia: Permacast Future Industries, a joint venture of nickel slag-based cement developer Suvo Strategic Minerals and precast concrete producer Permacast, has signed a binding two-year memorandum of understanding (MOU) to supply its reduced-CO₂ concrete to wind farm developer Wind With Purpose (WWP). WWP will explore the use of the concrete in wind turbine foundations and towers. The Sydney Morning Herald newspaper has reported that WWP’s upcoming wind farms in Western Australia require 500 turbines, each using 1000m³ of concrete.

Indonesia: Precast concrete producer PT Wijaya Karya Beton has planted 1800 mangrove seedlings around Pari Island in the Special Capital Region of Jakarta. The reafforestation initiative forms part of a collaboration between local authorities, non-governmental organisations and communities.

US: A joint study by the University of Colorado Boulder and Pennsylvania State University has demonstrated a lack of ‘granularity’ to regional benchmarks for the use of reduced-CO₂ concrete, while recognising the benchmarks as a ‘promising starting point.’ The team found that regional global warming potential (GWP) targets may be less attainable outside of metropolitan areas. The researchers noted that two cities – Los Angeles and New York – hold 41% of concrete environmental product disclosures (EPDs). In addition to a lack of access to concrete with EPDs, builders outside of the country’s cities face an increased burden of emissions due to transport.

Finland/Germany: Finland-based Carbonaide has cured 1kg of concrete with CO₂ captured using NeoCarbon’s direct air capture (DAC) method. The partners blended the CO₂ with other CO₂ from biogenic sources. They said that the project, called NeoDuo, successfully demonstrated concrete production with 50% reduced CO₂ emissions, and can also be used to produce carbon-negative concrete when cement is substituted with alternative binders.

The companies plan to scale this technology to achieve 1000t of CO₂ sequestered by 2026. They are reportedly on track to begin providing carbon removal credits to customers later in 2025.

US: Canada-based CarbiCrete has launched its CarbiFlo cement-free paving grids in the US market. It says that CarbiFlo paving grids allow permeation for stormwater runoff and soil stabilisation. Maine-based retailer Gagne & Son will distribute the product.

UK: Construction firm Skanska is using 3000 planks of precast concrete made with 50% ground granulated blast-furnace slag (GGBFS) for the upcoming 105 Victoria Street commercial development in Westminster, dubbed ‘London’s most sustainable office building.’ Engineering firm Laing O’Rourke will design and produce the planks at its Worksop, Nottinghamshire, concrete plant. Construction Management Magazine News has reported that the 105 Victoria Street building will include 2000m² of green space and terraces.