Global Concrete News

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.”

UAE: Cemex will supply more than 200,000m³ of its Vertua low-carbon concrete for the development of major infrastructure at the Khalifa Port expansion, currently being undertaken by Khalifa Port’s parent company AD Ports Group. Khalifa Port chose the product due to its ability to achieve up to a 70% reduction in CO2 emissions, without loss of performance.

The mega-project is located between Abu Dhabi and Dubai and serves 25 shipping lines. It is a multipurpose 18.5m deep-water port with a total of 10.6km of berths that include two container terminals, a general cargo and dry bulk facility, a logistics port, a liquid bulk terminal and a roll on - roll off terminal.

"Cemex is proud to contribute to reducing the carbon footprint of major projects around the world," said Sergio Menendez, president of Cemex Europe, Middle East, Africa and Asia, in a statement. "Vertua is a family of sustainable products that meet the needs of our customers with the highest quality standards, leveraging the most advanced technology and innovation.”

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."

US: 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.