Riccelli-Northern Ready Mix, Klaw Industries prove Performance of recycled glass-derived pozzolan
A carbon management-minded approach to infrastructure specifications has compelled the City of Syracuse, N.Y. to adopt Pantheon, a recycled glass-derived supplementary cementitious material, as a 20-30 percent replacement for portland cement in concrete. Officials have observed the pozzolan’s performance in flatwork projects involving North Syracuse-based Riccelli-Northern Ready Mix; Pantheon developer Klaw Industries LLC of Binghamton, N.Y.; and, local finisher Michael McConnell Concrete.
“These projects are proof of Syracuse’s commitment to supporting New York companies and deploying cost-effective, sustainable materials. We’re excited to expand our operations throughout the state in partnership with Riccelli-Northern,” says Klaw Industries Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer Jacob Kumpon. By continuing to embrace innovation in concrete mix designs and site practice, he adds, Syracuse is poised to become a leader in sustainable urban development—offering other cities or towns a template in their quest for long-term infrastructure solutions.
Pantheon processing entails pulverizing of glass sorted from local municipal waste transfer facilities. The Klaw technology converts the feedstock to a silicon dioxide-rich (> 70 percent) agent whose reactivity level yields additional calcium silicate hydrate in fresh concrete. The Pantheon process emerged from The Cube, a student business incubator program at Clarkson University in Potsdam, N.Y. Early demonstrations of the pozzolanic material included concrete flatwork at the university and for the City of Binghamton.
MARKET BOUND
A 2021 Environmental Protection Agency grant propelled Pantheon testing and commercialization. The City of Syracuse specification followed New York State Department of Transportation’s mid-2024 approval of the SCM for certain concrete classes. “NYSDOT approval is the ‘highest law in the land’ for concrete materials in New York,” noted Jack Lamuraglia, a Clarkson University electrical engineering graduate who co-founded Klaw Industries in 2019 with Kumpon, mechanical engineering classmate.
The NYSDOT action spawned a 75-ton Pantheon order for curb, sidewalk and barrier mixes on a $21 million project along U.S. Route 11 in Whitney Point. In an announcement on the contract, New York Governor Kathy Hochul observed, “This project, which enhances safety and walkability while replacing a 77-year-old bridge, is a solid investment in the future of Whitney Point, home to one of the best county fairs in the Empire State. Coupled with innovations in new technology that lower carbon emissions, this project will not only shore up the Village’s infrastructure, but make it a more resilient place to live, work and raise a family.”
Riccelli-Northern began delivering Pantheon mixes to Michael McConnell Concrete crews for Syracuse flatwork placements in summer 2024.
