Carbon black pigments propel surfaces, slabs toward ‘jetness’

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Granulated and liquid pigments debuting at World of Concrete 2017 enable producers and contractors to approach jet black in masonry units and cast-in-place or precast concrete surfaces or structures. Orion Engineered Carbons’ Corasol and Derussol agents are based on carbon black, the smudgy film burning candles deposit on container or enclosure walls.

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Nanotechnology reveals carbon’s full performance potential in concrete

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Littleton, Colo.-based EdenCrete Industries enters 2017 ramping up production of a liquid admixture that has demonstrated in field trials and early commercial applications a capacity to strengthen concrete at levels sufficient to reduce rebar and portland cement requirements. Dosed at 0.25 gallon to 4 gallons per cubic yard, which typically equates to approximately 3 ounces to 130 ounces per 100 lbs. of cementitious material, the EdenCrete admixture embodies quintillions (one million trillion) of carbon fiber-like tubes, or nanotubes, per gallon. EdenCrete Industries has developed a method to safely transfer carbon nanotubes in admixture form to concrete customers without any risk of health concerns; the resulting product dictates packaging solely in liquid form.

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Cement companies score best on carbon, energy in sustainability watchdog audit

An external audit of multinational producers behind the World Business Council for Sustainable Development Cement Sustainability Initiative finds high scores in two of seven key CSI Charter areas: 1) Carbon Dioxide and Energy Management and 2) Fuels and Materials Use. Emissions reduction and resource optimization have netted economic savings, improved waste recovery, and nurtured innovation.

 
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January 2014 Briefs

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PRODUCERS

Per Faivre, Director of Construction Services.

Waukesha, Wis.-based Spancrete has named Per Faivre director of Construction Services, where he will focus on implementing the producer’s commitment to increasing value for customers and maximizing efficiency through all phases of the precast project. Faivre will oversee and direct project managers, superintendents, erection crews, subcontractors and related services. A civil engineer with a degree from the University of Illinois, Faivre previously worked as the precast division leader at Area Erectors, Inc., based in Rockford, Ill.

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MIT’s CSHub responds to White House Climate challenges

Source: Concrete Sustainability Hub at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge

In a statement on President Obama’s Climate Action Plan, the MIT-hosted Concrete Sustainability Hub (CSHub) cited work since 2010 to address two of his key points: building a 21st century transportation sector and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

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Environmental Product Declarations workshop dovetails ASTM C09 committee meetings

Sources: ASTM International, West Conshohocken, Pa.; CP staff

“An Introduction to Product Category Rules (PCR), Environmental Product Declarations (EPD) and Other Aspects of Sustainable Process and Resilient Materials” will be held December 8 at the Hyatt Regency Jacksonville (Fla.) Riverfront, host venue of ASTM Committee C09 on Concrete and Concrete Aggregates standards development meetings.

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Global cement group guides Environmental Product Declarations for plain concrete

Sources: World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), Geneva; CP staff

WBCSD Cement Sustainability Initiative’s (CSI) new Product Category Rules (PCR) for unreinforced concrete offer producers a common methodology to prepare Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) for their mixes. CSI membership includes all multinational companies with integrated North American operations: Argos, CRH, Cemex, GCC, Heidelberg, Holcim, Lafarge, Taiheiyo, Titan and Votorantim.

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NRMCA set to verify Environmental Product Declarations per new LEED, IgCC versions

Source: National Ready Mixed Concrete Association, Silver Spring, Md.

NRMCA has become an Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) Program Operator, a designation enabling it to help members meet new requirements in LEED v4, International Green Construction Code (IgCC) and the Architecture 2030 Challenge for Products. EPDs are third-party verified reports published by product manufacturers that provide quality assured and comparable information regarding the environmental performance of their product.

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