Periodic Reporting for period 2 - RE-CREATE (Eco-innovative building products for sustainable construction in a circular economy)
Período documentado: 2021-04-01 hasta 2022-06-30
Criaterra’s patent protected technology is targeted to impact the built environment by introducing precast products, including tiles and masonry blocks, that are manufactured in clean, low carbon emission processes. Criaterra’s 2-year innovation project expanded the product portfolio, industrialized the production method and reduced production costs, achieving competitive pricing and access to a broad market. During the project, Criaterra’s award-winning zero waste, fully circular tiles were successfully licensed for manufacturing and sales in Europe.
The RE-CREATE project accelerated the introduction of disruptive change in the area of construction by developing solutions to one of the biggest and most urgent climate challenges in the building industry: the process of kiln firing of materials, a process that is required in the manufacture of cement and ceramic products for buildings. Because of this process, the building industry is one of the biggest carbon emitters. Cement alone, which is the binder used to make concrete, is the source of 7.5% of global emissions.
Through a cross-disciplinary scientific approach, Criaterra developed an innovative low temperature patent-protected process for manufacturing products with constructive strength and outstanding insulation properties. The RE-CREATE project advanced Criaterra’s first product line of indoor wall tiles from TRL6 to TRL8, introducing functional, scalable and economical building materials designed to support the transformation of the building sector into a resource efficient, circular economy. The project also significantly advanced Criaterra’s innovative technological platform, which is the foundation for many future low-carbon, circular and nearly zero-energy precast materials, including exterior tiles (cladding) and masonry blocks. Criaterra products meet or exceed the constructive properties of widely used products, but Criaterra products do not contain any synthetic binder or cement, instead they contain Criaterra’s proprietary bio-binder.
To quantify the impact, Criaterra products are:
• 90% energy saving
• 92% GHG emissions saving for tiles, and over 80% savings for masonry blocks.
• 70% upcycled
• Zero-waste
The climate benefits are dramatic. First, at the manufacturing stage, pollution is reduced in 2 ways:
1-The current dependence on fossil fuel combustion to reach extremely high kiln temperatures can be avoided. Criaterra manufacturing saves 90% of the energy and can be powered from renewable sources.
2-The current harmful process of burning off the carbon that is naturally embedded in the raw materials, releasing it into the atmosphere, is avoided entirely. Avoiding the calcination process from the kiln firing saves 60% of the carbon emissions created in production of cement.
Criaterra products have many additional climate benefits. Because they are highly insulative, providing 6x the insulation of concrete blocks, they reduce the energy required to heat and cool buildings, over the buildings’ lifetime. At the end of the life cycle, Criaterra products are fully circular, without any downgrading. The products can be reclaimed and made into new Criaterra products. This reduces the depletion of natural resources for new production materials, and reduces waste, another big climate problem. Criaterra products can be reintegrated into the ground as natural materials that are compatible with agriculture and growth.
Criaterra products are suitable for industrial manufacturing at competitive costs.
The RE-CREATE project accelerated the introduction of disruptive change in the area of construction by developing solutions to one of the biggest and most urgent climate challenges in the building industry: the process of kiln firing of materials, a process that is required in the manufacture of cement and ceramic products for buildings. Because of this process, the building industry is one of the biggest carbon emitters. Cement alone, which is the binder used to make concrete, is the source of 7.5% of global emissions.
Through a cross-disciplinary scientific approach, Criaterra developed an innovative low temperature patent-protected process for manufacturing products with constructive strength and outstanding insulation properties. The RE-CREATE project advanced Criaterra’s first product line of indoor wall tiles from TRL6 to TRL8, introducing functional, scalable and economical building materials designed to support the transformation of the building sector into a resource efficient, circular economy. The project also significantly advanced Criaterra’s innovative technological platform, which is the foundation for many future low-carbon, circular and nearly zero-energy precast materials, including exterior tiles (cladding) and masonry blocks. Criaterra products meet or exceed the constructive properties of widely used products, but Criaterra products do not contain any synthetic binder or cement, instead they contain Criaterra’s proprietary bio-binder.
To quantify the impact, Criaterra products are:
• 90% energy saving
• 92% GHG emissions saving for tiles, and over 80% savings for masonry blocks.
• 70% upcycled
• Zero-waste
The climate benefits are dramatic. First, at the manufacturing stage, pollution is reduced in 2 ways:
1-The current dependence on fossil fuel combustion to reach extremely high kiln temperatures can be avoided. Criaterra manufacturing saves 90% of the energy and can be powered from renewable sources.
2-The current harmful process of burning off the carbon that is naturally embedded in the raw materials, releasing it into the atmosphere, is avoided entirely. Avoiding the calcination process from the kiln firing saves 60% of the carbon emissions created in production of cement.
Criaterra products have many additional climate benefits. Because they are highly insulative, providing 6x the insulation of concrete blocks, they reduce the energy required to heat and cool buildings, over the buildings’ lifetime. At the end of the life cycle, Criaterra products are fully circular, without any downgrading. The products can be reclaimed and made into new Criaterra products. This reduces the depletion of natural resources for new production materials, and reduces waste, another big climate problem. Criaterra products can be reintegrated into the ground as natural materials that are compatible with agriculture and growth.
Criaterra products are suitable for industrial manufacturing at competitive costs.
The RE-CREATE innovation project focused on our immediate R&D goals including:
1. Advanced natural coatings to make our products withstand the roughest conditions.
2. Improved property performance, such as thermal insulation.
3. Expansion of our product lines and collections – introducing new sizes, shapes and functionality.
4. Advanced manufacturing technologies which enable efficient and scalable production.
The project also developed the technological platform to expand into additional green building materials. Criaterra developed a product roadmap into future products including masonry blocks.
An important part of RE-CREATE was the development of industrial manufacturing processes for maximal cost efficiency. This not only makes our products attractive alternatives to products on the market today, it also prices for the highest product volumes.
Criaterra’s industrialization roadmap was designed in three steps. The first step which was implemented during the RE-CREATE project, included optimizing the pilot production line within our R&D center by developing and implementing small scale industrial solutions and enhancing management systems flow and layout. The second step included undergoing a technology transfer process and setting up a higher scale production line in an existing production facility together with a professional manufacturing partner. At the third stage, this process will be replicated across numerous geographies implementing Criaterra’s algorithm to manufacture with locally available resources. Scale-up will include production lines that produce high volume standardized products at competitive costs. This tiered approach will allow Criaterra to achieve maximal environmental impact on the building material market in a very effective time-line.
During the RE-CREATE project, Criaterra successfully completed the first step, and is in the process of the second step, towards setting up an industrial line. Criaterra is in parallel identifying potential partners for the third step above, towards geographic expansion.
1. Advanced natural coatings to make our products withstand the roughest conditions.
2. Improved property performance, such as thermal insulation.
3. Expansion of our product lines and collections – introducing new sizes, shapes and functionality.
4. Advanced manufacturing technologies which enable efficient and scalable production.
The project also developed the technological platform to expand into additional green building materials. Criaterra developed a product roadmap into future products including masonry blocks.
An important part of RE-CREATE was the development of industrial manufacturing processes for maximal cost efficiency. This not only makes our products attractive alternatives to products on the market today, it also prices for the highest product volumes.
Criaterra’s industrialization roadmap was designed in three steps. The first step which was implemented during the RE-CREATE project, included optimizing the pilot production line within our R&D center by developing and implementing small scale industrial solutions and enhancing management systems flow and layout. The second step included undergoing a technology transfer process and setting up a higher scale production line in an existing production facility together with a professional manufacturing partner. At the third stage, this process will be replicated across numerous geographies implementing Criaterra’s algorithm to manufacture with locally available resources. Scale-up will include production lines that produce high volume standardized products at competitive costs. This tiered approach will allow Criaterra to achieve maximal environmental impact on the building material market in a very effective time-line.
During the RE-CREATE project, Criaterra successfully completed the first step, and is in the process of the second step, towards setting up an industrial line. Criaterra is in parallel identifying potential partners for the third step above, towards geographic expansion.
RE-CREATE has enabled technological breakthroughs, far beyond the state of the art, by re-engineering the entire process. This has the following impact:
Regenerative products: Our complete redesign of the production process and our circular economy approach to material use resulted in 100% natural products with balanced functional properties that can be used to create a versatile and multi-functional product portfolio (from decorative tiles to a masonry block) with a 92% carbon emissions reduction.
Energy efficient buildings: Criaterra excels in thermal insulation – a key defining characteristic that minimizes energy bills. Our ability to combine this important value proposition with compressive and bending strength is what sets us apart from the competition, especially for outdoor cladding - our next product offering.
Local ecosystem:
Our business model is based on local production for local use together with partnerships with local manufacturers and using local supply chains. Our algorithm enables the adaption of the material composition according to the minerals and surplus minerals and fibers available in the proximity of the manufacturing site(s). This drastically reduces transport costs and makes the process and supply chain highly scalable globally, based on locally available raw materials.
The commercialization of our green building materials will help towards the greening of the built environment, create jobs within the growing field of eco-construction and transform Criaterra from a promising start-up to a multi-million-euro company. Criaterra has identified Europe as its target market for expansion.
Regenerative products: Our complete redesign of the production process and our circular economy approach to material use resulted in 100% natural products with balanced functional properties that can be used to create a versatile and multi-functional product portfolio (from decorative tiles to a masonry block) with a 92% carbon emissions reduction.
Energy efficient buildings: Criaterra excels in thermal insulation – a key defining characteristic that minimizes energy bills. Our ability to combine this important value proposition with compressive and bending strength is what sets us apart from the competition, especially for outdoor cladding - our next product offering.
Local ecosystem:
Our business model is based on local production for local use together with partnerships with local manufacturers and using local supply chains. Our algorithm enables the adaption of the material composition according to the minerals and surplus minerals and fibers available in the proximity of the manufacturing site(s). This drastically reduces transport costs and makes the process and supply chain highly scalable globally, based on locally available raw materials.
The commercialization of our green building materials will help towards the greening of the built environment, create jobs within the growing field of eco-construction and transform Criaterra from a promising start-up to a multi-million-euro company. Criaterra has identified Europe as its target market for expansion.