U.S. Concrete subsidiary teams with UCLA, ASU on alternative SCM

Source: U.S. Concrete, Inc., Houston

USC Technologies, Inc. of San Jose, Calif., a research and development offshoot of U.S. Concrete, has joined efforts with researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and Arizona State University (ASU) to develop alternative supplemental cementitious materials. Under the course of this collaborative research effort, the research teams will focus on identifying and developing alternative supplemental materials that can be used to replace cement in concrete.

“Cement production is responsible for 5 percent of man-made carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions,” says Ryan Henkensiefken, technical services manager at USC Technologies. “For every ton of cement clinker manufactured, about one ton of CO2 is released into the atmosphere. To combat these environmental effects, an academic-industrial partnership like the one that we’re forging with UCLA and ASU is essential to reduce the use of cement, and thus the GHG footprint of concrete.”

Since 2006, U.S. Concrete and its operating companies reduced over 1.5 million tons of CO2 emission—equivalent to that of 13 million cars annually—through the use of its environmentally friendly concrete mixes, such as EF Technology.