A new study by MIT Concrete Sustainability Hub (CSHub) researchers shows that the annual greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of all construction materials used in the U.S. pavement network are 11.9-13.3 megatons, equivalent to the output of a gasoline-fueled passenger vehicle logging 30 billion miles. As roads are built, repaved, and expanded, new approaches and thoughtful material choices are necessary to…
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DOE further funds Cemex testing of solar-powered cement clinker process
The U.S. Department of Energy has awarded $3.2 million to Solar MEAD, a joint project of its New Mexico affiliate, Sandia National Laboratories, Cemex S.A.B. de C.V., and Swiss concentrated solar thermal (CST) technology developer Synhelion. Investigators aim to replace the use of fossil fuels with CST energy to provide the 1,500°C heat required to calcine cement kiln raw feed—limestone,…
Read MoreCRH seeds venture capital unit, taps Cemex veteran to lead the charge
The parent of the CRH Americas and Oldcastle businesses has organized a venture capital unit to support development of new technologies or innovations addressing customers’ increasingly complex needs and evolving construction trends. With access to $250 million, CRH Ventures will focus on companies that are: Developing the next generation of advanced sustainable building products and accelerating the industry’s path to…
Read MoreEPA accelerates low carbon material, product procurement timetable
The Environmental Protection Agency will host three webinars to gather public and private construction stakeholder perspectives on federal procurement policy tied to carbon dioxide emissions accounting and reporting methods for specified materials or products: Reducing Embodied Greenhouse Gas Emissions: Construction Materials Prioritization and Environmental Data Improvement, March 2, 2-3:30 p.m. EST Reducing Embodied Greenhouse Gas Emissions: Grants and Technical Assistance…
Read MoreDeWalt links new maturity sensor to AI-enabled ConcreteDNA platform
Sources: Converge, London; CP staff Stanley Black & Decker Inc. tool brand DeWalt is teaming with Converge, U.K. developer of artificial intelligence (AI) technology for concrete, to assist producers, engineers and contractors in portland cement-optimized mix design plus accelerated pour schedules. A partnership they announced at World of Concrete 2023, Las Vegas, will see maturity metrics from the new DeWalt…
Read MoreGlenwood Mason Supply taps Big Apple towers’ CO2 for CarbonCure process
Sources: Glenwood Property Management, CarbonQuest, New York City; CP staff Brooklyn-based Glenwood Mason Supply will source CarbonQuest “Sustainable CO,” processed from New York City apartment building mechanical flue exhaust, for concrete masonry unit (CMU) production incorporating CarbonCure Technologies’ carbon dioxide mineralizing method. CarbonQuest engineers collection and separation assemblies to purify and liquify CO2 from commercial building mechanicals. Stored in high pressure,…
Read MoreCRH venture capital unit: $250M facility, Cemex veteran at helm
Sources: CRH Plc, Dublin; CP staff The parent of the CRH Americas and Oldcastle businesses has organized a venture capital unit to support development of new technologies or innovations addressing customers’ increasingly complex needs and evolving construction trends. With access to $250 million, CRH Ventures will focus on companies that are: • Developing the next generation of advanced sustainable building…
Read MoreFeds earmark $100M to decarbonize cement, companion industries
Sources: U.S. Department of Energy; CP staff The Department of Energy’s (DOE) new “Industrial Decarbonization Roadmap” identifies key pathways—Energy Efficiency; Industrial Electrification; Low Carbon Fuels; Carbon Capture, Utilization and Storage—to reducing carbon dioxide emissions in Cement, Iron & Steel, Chemicals, Food & Beverage, Refining and other manufacturing sectors that collectively account for 30 percent of the United States’ annual CO2 load.
Read MoreDigitizing production and QC: Nothing to lose, and so much to gain
Optimizing the production side of ready mix operations reduces cost, manual processes, carbon emissions, and wasted human potential The production side of the ready mix industry has traditionally consisted of many manual processes. Think about your own operation: Do your batch operators sit behind a screen from the time they arrive at the plant until it is time to go…
Read MoreTitan measures cement kiln potential in heat battery technology investment
Titan Cement Group, Athens, has joined a venture capital funding round for Oakland, Calif.-based Rondo Energy Inc., whose heat battery technology holds prospects for decarbonizing cement production and power generation. The modular Rondo Heat Battery uses established methods to transform renewable electricity into heat at 98 percent efficiency, and has potential for high scalability at costs competitive with current energy…
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