Investors turbocharge CarbonCure concrete, CO2 management pursuits

Sources: CarbonCure Technologies, Halifax, Nova Scotia; CP staff A major investment by Blue Earth Capital of Switzerland, concurrent with a broader collaborative funding round north of $80 million, positions CarbonCure Technologies to accelerate a plant process and information technology roadmap driving carbon dioxide utilization and sequestration in concrete. The capital infusion was announced days after CarbonCure surpassed 750 CO2 metering and…

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Study: Policy actions key to carbon-neutral pavements by 2050

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,…

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CRH 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…

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EPA 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…

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DeWalt 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…

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Glenwood 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,…

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CRH 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…

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Feds 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. 

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Digitizing 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…

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