Displaying items by tag: sustainability
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.”
Bahamas: Partanna Global has unveiled its first carbon negative, climate-resilient Home for the World in Nassau. The residence will remove 182.6t/yr of CO2 from the atmosphere. It is the first of 30 planned units, as part of a project to eventually build 1000 Homes for the World in partnership with the Bahamian government.
US: Cemex USA has poured 18,300m3 of Vertua reduced-CO2 concrete in the construction of the Centennial Tower at Houston Methodist Hospital in Texas. Cemex USA says that it successfully completed the 20hr pour at the world’s largest medical complex without interrupting surrounding emergency services.
President Jaime Muguiro said “Cemex’s purpose of building a better future comes to life when we participate in projects that improve people’s quality of life, particularly in the area of health services, in the communities in which we serve. Not only are we providing expert logistics and resilient materials, but we are also providing an alternative to lower the carbon footprint of the project with our more sustainable solutions.”
Cemex Zement buys two iONTRON electric mixer trucks
14 September 2023Germany: Cemex Zement has bought two iONTRON eMixer electric ready-mix concrete mixer trucks from Putzmeister Group. The ready-mix concrete producer will deploy the vehicles in its Berlin operations, with one based at its Hohenschönhausen batching plant and the other at its Spandau batching plant. The vehicles offer a full eight-hour workday from a single overnight charge. When recharged using renewable energy, they can reduce journey’s CO2 emissions by 100%. They will also contribute to a reduction in urban air pollution and noise along the routes on which they operate.
Cemex Zement’s director materials Marcel Busch said "We are reducing emissions throughout our value chain, and transport plays an important role in this.” He added “We are investing in the electrification of our vehicle fleet at our sites throughout Germany."
Hoffmann Green Cement Technologies partners with Marne BĂ©ton
12 September 2023France: Clinker-free alternative cement producer Hoffmann Green Cement Technologies has signed a strategic partnership deal with Marne Béton. Marne Béton operates five ready-mix concrete batching plants in Eastern France.
Boursier News has reported that Marne Béton expects to benefit from the ‘Environmental and technical advantages of Hoffmann cements’ in striving to meet growing local demand for low-carbon concretes.
US: The Department of Energy has awarded cement-free concrete developer C-Crete Technologies US$950,000-worth of research funding. The company will put the funds towards developing its concrete using new feedstocks.
Resources News has reported that C-Crete Technologies’ president Rouzbeh Savary said "By enlarging our technology toolbox to utilise geographically versatile and abundant feedstocks, we can ensure that local materials can be converted to cementitious binders, eliminating the need for shipping such materials over long distances.”
Greece: Titan Group has established a ready-mix concrete batching plant at the construction site of the Ellinikon new city project. The 6Mm2 development is converting a disused airport into housing and hotels. It has also started building what will be the Mediterranean’s tallest ‘green’ skyscraper. Titan Group says it will maximise its recycling rate of concrete and demolition waste at the site, as well as using new concrete recycling system and a treated water reuse method.
Titan Group’s Greece general manager, Angelos Kalogerakos, said “We have invested fast and early to accompany this large city infrastructure project. I am certain our partners will be delighted with the outstanding concrete solutions delivered by our group specialists thanks to this digital, state-of-the-art unit and our portfolio of green and value-added products. We take pride in contributing to the transformation of The Ellinikon as this iconic project is reshaping the coastline.”
Saudi Arabia: Partanna has supplied its carbon-negative concrete for the construction of the Diriyah tourism hub. The US$63.2bn hub expects to attract 27m visitors annually from 2030. Partanna produces its concrete from waste streams, mineralised with CO2 from the water desalination sector. Saudi Arabia is currently 70% reliant on desalination for its water consumption.
Partanna co-founder Rick Fox said "This partnership marks a new era in sustainable construction. Our carbon-negative binder technology is poised to fundamentally transform the way the world builds and represents an environmentally restorative and cost-effective alternative to cement. Since launching our business at COP27, we have sought to scale our business by partnering with organizations who are committed to less talk and more action on combatting climate change. The world needs solutions like ours and that’s why we’re delighted to have identified a partner in Diriyah that combines vision with decisive action.” He concluded “Together we are proving that it’s possible to delink development from pollution. The world is watching, and our journey has just begun."
CarbonBuilt’s reduced-CO2 concrete block technology win three Fast Company Innovation by Design prizes
24 August 2023US: Carbon Built’s proprietary technology for the production of reduced-CO2 concrete blocks won awards across three categories at the Fast Company Innovation by Design Awards 2023. The product won the Circular Design, Materials and Sustainability prizes. Carbon Built’s technology enables existing concrete block plants to use common alternative raw materials to produce blocks with 70 – 100% lower CO2 emissions than ordinary Portland cement-based blocks.
US: Block-Lite plans to install a system to cure concrete blocks using direct air capture (DAC)-sourced CO2 at its Flagstaff, Arizona, concrete block plant. The upgrade will implement CarbonBuilt’s low-CO2 concrete production technology and AirCapture’s modular DAC technology, across five or six capture units. Direct air capture will thus remove 500 – 600t/yr of CO2 from the atmosphere, while process changes will reduce CO2 emissions from the Flagstaff plant by over 2000t/yr. The project has attracted fundraising from the 4 Corners Carbon Coalition (4CCC), with a goal of US$50,000. The Arizon Daily Sun newspaper has reported that Block-Lite plans to supply its first shipment of low-CO2 blocks to a 50-home development by Habitat for Humanity in Flagstaff.