CarbiCrete, Isobloc ‘ZERO’ in on decarbonized concrete masonry

Sources: CarbiCrete Inc., Montreal; Isobloc, Mascouche, Quebec; CP staff Quebec-based Isobloc, a specialst in high-performance, double insulated concrete block wall systems, and CarbiCrete, supplementary cementitious materials and carbon dioxide-based curing process developer, have announced the first insulated masonry solution made from decarbonized concrete in North America. Isobloc ZÉRO combines thermal performance and ease of installation, while representing a significant reduction…

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FHWA contextualizes SCM reactivity, test methods

Sources: Federal Highway Administration; National Ready Mixed Concrete Association, Alexandria, Va.; CP staff The latest Federal Highway Administration TechNote sheds critical light on a metric that concrete practitioners will weigh as the supplementary cementitious materials universe expands and market conditions compel a lower portland cement clinker factor in mix designs.  FHWA HRT-25-050 Reactivity of Supplementary Cementitious Materials authors assess the chemical reactions…

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UT Austin Professor Juenger begins term as ACI president

Sources: American Concrete Institute, Farmington Hills, Mich.; CP staff Meeting in Toronto earlier this month for the ACI Concrete Convention, American Concrete Institute members elected University of Texas Department of Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Professor Maria Juenger, FACI, as president for the 2025-2026 term. She is active in numerous ACI committees and, over a 2009-2020 window, earned the organization’s…

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Eagle Materials co-leads $82M funding round for SCM developer Terra CO2

Sources: Terra CO2 Holdings, Golden, Colo.; CP staff Supplementary cementitious materials process developer Terra CO2 has signed Series B equity commitments totaling $82 million from financial and strategic investors. The latter include Eagle Materials Co., which has secured options for processing installations at three of its cement mills. In pilot scale equipment, Terra CO2 has demonstrated the potential for commercial…

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Krystol Waterproofing Admixtures impart durability in concrete structures

Recent University of Ottawa research demonstrates the effectiveness of Kryton International’s hydrophilic waterproofing products in critical conditions, including those where concrete mix designs must account for the risk of alkali-silica reaction (ASR) due to the presence of highly reactive aggregates. The four-year study investigates the performance of mix designs containing reactive aggregates, designated TX and SPH, along with Kryton’s products…

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Tech elite enlist WJE to prove low-carbon, data center slab mixes

Sources: Open Compute Project Foundation, Austin, Texas; CP staff The Open Compute Project Foundation (OCP) has tapped construction materials testing and engineering giant Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates Inc. (WJE) to measure a set of low embodied carbon concrete mixes for their potential in data center floors. The mixes use supplementary cementitious materials plus a portland cement alternative binder derived from…

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SCM-driven Queens Carbon lands $14.5M DOE grant, seeks cement partner

Sources: Queens Carbon, Pine Brook, N.J.; CP staff The U.S. Department of Energy Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy (ARPA-E) has awarded Queens Carbon $14.5 million to help fund a pilot supplementary cementitious materials facility engineered for 10 metric tons/day output and built at an existing portland cement operation. The startup company applies hydrothermal technology to produce Q-SCM binder, milled…

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ASTM C09 schedules Next Generation Cements and SCMs workshop

Sources: ASTM International, West Conshohocken, Pa.; CP staff ASTM Committee C09 on Concrete and Concrete Aggregates will present Workshop on Next Generation Cements and SCMs: Towards Specification on June 9 in conjunction with standards development meetings in Philadelphia. Workshop organizers cite the rise of new concrete binding agents, often from start-up operators, that do not fall under existing specifications. The…

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Master Builders rheology conditioner eases Type IL concrete mix work

Sources: Master Builders Solutions, Beechwood, Ohio; CP staff World of Concrete 2024 marked the formal North American market debut of Master Builders Solutions’ MasterEase, a next generation rheology-modifying, water-reducing admixture. Recently developed polymers enable the new ASTM C494 Type A agent to lower concrete viscosity compared to prior water reducing admixtures. The polymers reduce yield stress, the main indicator of…

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A brief history of Environmental Product Declarations and the arrival of EPD 3.0

Increasing demand for low carbon concrete, transparency, and digitization are driving a radical transformation in how EPDs are developed and used.  Industry demand for low carbon concrete and the critical need to measure reduced carbon metrics are driving radical change in the concrete industry, which increases monthly with new legislation, investor and commercial demand influencing construction materials production and specifications.…

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