India: The Pune bench of the National Green Tribunal has ordered J Kumar Infraprojects to cease operating its Thane concrete rail structures plant. The Hindustan Times newspaper has reported that the plant is situated inside the Sanjay Gandhi National Park and had been operating illegally. Non-profit organisation Vanshakti raised the issue via a filed petition.
New Zealand: A project at the University of Auckland to develop a novel, 90% reduced-CO2 concrete using pumice and seashells has reportedly entered the last year of its eight-year duration. The project uses pumice from the Te Awara Māori confederation’s Bay of Plenty and Tongariro deposits and kaimoana shells from the Ngātiwai Māori nation’s Bay of Plenty and Coromandel aquaculture farms to partly replace cement in concrete. The pumice component is activated by drying and grinding, without requiring calcination. Following the commercial launch of the material, its developers will initially target applications like footpaths, curbs and non-structural elements.
The University of Auckland has reported that the project commands a US$218,000 Marsden Fund research grant.
France: Saint-Gobain subsidiary Point.P will begin to produce 20,000t/yr of cement-free concrete blocks at its plant in Hauts-de-France in early 2026. The blocks will employ Canada-based CarbiCrete’s CO2-sequestering supplementary cementitious materials (SCM) technology. Production is set to double to 40,000t/yr from 2027. The development marks CarbiCrete’s first move into the French market.
CarbiCrete CEO Jacob Homiller said "We see Point.P, with their commitment to sustainable housing, as the ideal partner for scaling our technology. This major milestone paves the way for wider adoption of the CarbiCrete process in Europe and beyond."
Point.P Managing Director Nicolas Godet said that cement-free concrete construction is ‘No longer a laboratory concept, but a tangible, reliable and scalable solution for decarbonising construction.’
Denmark: Saint-Gobain has acquired concrete monitoring systems developer Maturix. The companies have been working in collaboration since 2019. Maturix's systems allow for remote real-time monitoring of concrete during curing and hardening, reducing the duration of the concrete construction cycle by up to 50%, according to the company.
The financial terms of the acquisition are undisclosed.
