Project description
Cutting concrete’s carbon footprint
Affordable, universal and irreplaceable, concrete is the most widely used man-made material. It also has a massive carbon footprint to match. Concrete production contributes to 5 % of annual anthropogenic global CO2 production. The problem is getting worse as the use of this material increases. The EU-funded ngCon project is developing a new concrete additive to improve the compressive strength of concrete by up to 50 %. The ngCon additive can give the construction material the desired consistency, all in one shot. It can also reduce the calcination temperature, cutting energy demand by half. It also reduces by 30 % the amount of calcium carbonate required, which is responsible for the CO2 emissions after combustion.
Objective
Concrete is the most consumed manufactured substance on the planet. Concrete is affordable, strong, durable and resilient to fire, floods and pests. In fact, there is no other material currently available in the quantities necessary to meet the demand for buildings and infrastructure. This makes concrete the affordable, universal and irreplaceable construction material. Cement works as the glue that binds the concrete’s aggregates together. However, while cement has shaped much of our cities and infrastructures, it also has a massive carbon footprint. The actual chemical process of making cement emits staggeringly high levels of CO2 and is the source of 8% of the world's CO2 emissions. The bigger challenge and opportunity lie in tweaking the recipe for cement, such that the process does not produce as much CO2.
ngCon additive innovation is key to formulate new classes of sustainable cements capable of tuning the bulk physical properties of concrete during preparation and improving its performance. ngCon additive drastically improves the compressive strength of concrete up to 50%. Whether it is for drying time, hardness or uniformity, the innovative ngCon additive developed by Nanogence can give to the construction material the desired consistency, all in one shot. Besides, ngCon additive offers a game-changing innovation in the cement production by reducing the calcination temperature from 1400°C to 800°C, hence cutting energy demand by 50%. Moreover, ngCon reduces the amount of calcium carbonate (CaCO3) required by 30%, which is the major responsible for the CO2 emissions after combustion.
Nanogence forecasts yearly profits of around €1M from each cement plant and replicating 250 times with our scalable business case, we expect more than €250M by 2024.
Fields of science
- natural scienceschemical sciencesinorganic chemistryinorganic compounds
- natural scienceschemical sciencesinorganic chemistryalkaline earth metals
- natural sciencesphysical sciencesastronomyplanetary sciencesplanets
- engineering and technologyelectrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineeringelectronic engineeringsensors
- natural sciencesbiological sciencesecologyecosystems
Programme(s)
Funding Scheme
SME-1 - SME instrument phase 1Coordinator
CH-1015 Lausanne
Switzerland
The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.