Initiating paradigm shift towards sustainable cement production. Novel smart nano-additive reducing cement production carbon footprint, cost and energy demand.

Project Information

ngCon

Grant agreement ID: 101009387

DOI

10.3030/101009387

Project closed

EC signature date 6 October 2020

Start date 1 November 2020

End date 31 October 2022

Funded under

• PRIORITY 'Societal challenges

Total cost

€ 3 595 000,00

EU contribution

€ 2 499 000,00

Coordinated by

NANOGENCE SA
Switzerland

Periodic Reporting for period 2 - ngCon (Initiating paradigm shift towards sustainable cement production. Novel smart nano-additive reducing cement production carbon footprint, cost and energy demand.)

Reporting period: 2021-11-01 to 2022-10-31

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

Current urbanisation rate is pushing the cement production of almost 4 to 5 billions of tons every year and in fact concrete made from cement is the 2nd most used substance after water in the world. At this rate we would be building 1NYC, every month for the next 40 years. With no direct alternative in sight that can cover such large volume demand, we need to deal with the high carbon footprint issue associated with modern day cement/concrete products that covers 95% of the $ 10 trillion construction sector worldwide. Construction sector put in almost 8% of manmade carbon emission, which is higher than the trucking, airline and shipping industry put together at 6%.

Needless to say, with the given state of climate change every % improvement on carbon reduction in such a massive industry matter. If we want to survive as society and avoid any enormous impact on the existing environment so that it continues to support life in its current state, we need to act now else we will fail to exist in future. Unfortunately, there is little to no giant changes in the construction sectors compared to any other manufacturing sector and it often goes unnoticed for an economic sector that is utterly important employing a good 10-12% of workforce worldwide. Hence it is all that more important to find a solution for this existential problem to modern day society.

So, the overall objective is to build a novel material technology that can make a measurable impact at the gigatons levels with quick scalable factors as time is of the essence. We need low to no barrier entry of integration of technology so it can be easily adapted in every market from grown western economies to developing African economies.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

In the project we have discovered chemistry right at the miniscule level that determines the final strength of cement/concrete. If we could control these chemical reactions at this level and direct them to specified pathways, we can manipulate the performance of cementitious materials. It will directly affect the way cement/concrete are made and also improve the durability of the structure as well.

To do so, we design and manufacture over 70+ formulation of specialized tailored catalyst molecules that can be easily introduced either in cement production level or in concrete production in minor dosage of around 1% enforcing the chemical reaction to form selective crystal leading to better strength and durability. There are no changes needed in existing manufacturing process of cement and concrete businesses.

Thanks to optimised strength, it allows manufacturers of cement and concrete to integrate more eco-friendly raw materials in cement and concrete thus reducing the carbon footprint drastically. Some of these eco-friendly materials come as waste from other industries that solves the waste disposal problem as well.

With the help of the EIC grant we have been able to demonstrate that we can scale up this technology to commercial volume and do client on-site integration. More than that we were able to show the low barrier to integration with existing infrastructure without need of any special budgeting for the clients. Clients feedback allowed us further to optimise and validate our supply chain model and ensure better pricing strategy. Overall, our product allows the clients to save on cost, carbon footprint, taxes. We ultimately have direct impact on the 5 SDGs goals directly or indirectly, with special push on the climate change.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

Being a best-in-class “carbon avoidance technology”, the technology is truly global is good for the environment as it shifts clients to adapt to low carbon footprint methods of manufacturing. It presents much cheaper opportunity to reduce the footprint then going by carbon capture technology that need already up front several millions to setup. With over 50% clients being SME, our technology is truly attractive.

However, the main socio-economic impact comes from the fact that it helps reduce the cost for the cement/concrete manufacturer coming from materials end and any Carbon-based taxations. On our side, it generates employment in the green sector, good for the environment and also saves money for the clients. Hence a truly win-win technology for all stakeholders involved - Start-up-technology, Environment - society, Corporate.

Publication in a renowned innovation oriented news journal covering specially climate technology

Product presentation in a special edition of Swiss magazine “Dossier public”, published in Oct 2021

Example of catalytic effect shown under the high-resolution transmission electron microscope