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 (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- natural sciences chemical sciences inorganic chemistry inorganic compounds
- natural sciences chemical sciences inorganic chemistry alkaline earth metals
- natural sciences physical sciences astronomy planetary sciences planets
- engineering and technology electrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineering electronic engineering sensors
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Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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H2020-EU.2.3. - INDUSTRIAL LEADERSHIP - Innovation In SMEs
MAIN PROGRAMME
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H2020-EU.3. - PRIORITY 'Societal challenges
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H2020-EU.2.1. - INDUSTRIAL LEADERSHIP - Leadership in enabling and industrial technologies
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Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
SME-1 - SME instrument phase 1
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) H2020-EIC-SMEInst-2018-2020
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
CH-1015 Lausanne
Switzerland
The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.