Top architect’s specs hospitable to low-carbon Holcim US mixes

Holcim US proves the potential of its ECOPact concrete to align with the low-carbon metrics project principals envision for the recently topped out Populus, a 13-story hotel that high profile architect Studio Gang has tailored for a triangular Denver site. The producer teamed with the architect, Denver developer Urban Villages, and general contractor Beck Group on a superstructure concrete schedule…

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Tech giants embrace carbon-optimized concrete for data centers

In “Greener Concrete for Data Centers,” an open letter posted at https://climateaccord.org, iMasons Climate Accord leaders Amazon Web Services, Google, Meta Platforms and Microsoft implore their industry to work together to a) Deliver a technology roadmap to decarbonize concrete; b) Set standard carbon dioxide emissions measurement baselines to measure against; c) Drive transparency through Environmental Product Declarations; and, d) Create…

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Lafarge Canada shifts 4Refuel renewable diesel program inland

Sources: Lafarge Canada Inc., Calgary; CP staff  After a successful demonstration in British Columbia concrete operations, Lafarge Canada is extending to its Manitoba fleet the use of renewable diesel from waste oil and fats processor 4Refuel. The migration from petroleum diesel equates to lower carbon dioxide emissions tracked in material deliveries. “Switching to renewable diesel (R50) is a significant step…

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Startup C60 leverages technology to optimize business operations

The pressure is on for concrete producers. Demand is high, especially with the passing of the U.S. Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, but the market is more challenging than ever.  Construction costs rose 14.1 percent year over year by the end of 2022, according to CBRE’s Construction Cost Index. Recruiting skilled labor continues to be difficult as many industry veterans…

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Superior Block turns to Big Apple towers as CarbonCure process CO2 sources

Brooklyn-based Glenwood Mason Supply Company Inc., a concrete masonry unit producer equipped to deploy CarbonCure Technologies’ carbon dioxide mineralizing process, will source “Sustainable CO” extracted from New York City apartment buildings’ mechanical system flue exhaust. After a 2022 pilot installation at The Grand Tier (1930 Broadway), Glenwood Property Management (unaffiliated with the producer) plans Q1 deployment of modular CarbonQuest Building…

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A new portal for Buy Clean era

We are into a second decade of covering ready mixed and manufactured concrete producer response to construction market catalysts driving Environmental Product Declaration preparation and submittals: The Architecture 2030 Challenge (2012), compelling proof of lower embodied carbon materials or products in project specifications, and the U.S. Green Building Council LEED v4 standard (2014-16), the first broad-based mechanism incentivizing suppliers, producers…

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PLC, in-transit mix management raise performance, sustainability attributes

By Jason Straka Reducing net carbon dioxide emissions in finished concrete is a critical endeavor for the industry. As portland cement production accounts for a measurable percentage of global man-made CO2 emissions, stakeholders are under a microscope to change the way they finish binders and develop new approaches that are more sustainable through the entire cycle of concrete production. From…

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Cemex marks volume milestone for branded, lower-carbon concrete mix

Sources: Cemex USA, Houston; CP staff Cemex USA has delivered more than 1 million yd. of Vertua for public and private projects in California, where the lower carbon mix recently debuted as part of the producer’s Future in Action program. When measured on embodied carbon metrics, Vertua offers carbon dioxide emission reduction of at least 30 percent when compared to…

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Alternative Materials to the Rescue!

Geopolymer concrete and fiber-reinforced polymer rebar can be the perfect match for sustainability in structural applications. Steel and concrete have a love-hate relationship. Steel brings tensile strength to concrete, making it stronger for structural applications. Alas, concrete lets water seep into the relationship and corrode the hope for a lasting union. To fix this marriage, Dr. Ruth (Westheimer) has been…

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Cement producers pinpoint Roadmap to Carbon Neutrality deliverables

Sources: Portland Cement Association, Washington, D.C.; CP staff Portland Cement Association members are marking the first year of their Roadmap to Carbon Neutrality by 2050 by highlighting key deliverables for public and private construction market stakeholders. Released in mid-October 2021, the Roadmap outlines strategies in a value chain—Clinker, Cement, Concrete, Construction, Carbonation—through which cement producers and their downstream partners can…

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