In the time you read this sentence, more than 19,000 bathtubs of concrete will be poured for the global building industry. Concrete is the foundation of the building industry, our attempt to conquer nature and protect us from the elements. They keep our feet out of the mud and our bodies out of the cold and rain. Concrete also lays to waste vast tracts of soil and chokes our water bodies.
Between 4 and 7 percent of all greenhouse gases are emitted from cement production. 3 trillion liters of water are used in the production of concrete every year. Carbon pollution and water scarcity are among the most daunting challenges facing humankind in the present day. Population growth and industrial explosion are threatening to increase these risks if we continue with our existing systems.
Traditional cement manufacture
Cement is manufactured by heating a mixture of limestone, sand, and water in a rotating kiln set at 1,450 degrees Centigrade. The end product is known as the cement clinker. Cement clinker is extracted from the kiln, cooled, and ground to the powder known as cement. Cement and concrete are often terms used synonymously, but they are different. Cement is used in the production of concrete and can be thought of as the glue that holds concrete together.
40% of the emissions released are a by-product of the fuels combusted in the process. The remaining 60% is released as process emissions when limestone is heated. Heated limestone gives rise to carbon atoms and the formation of carbon dioxide inside the kiln. The cement and concrete industry is working hard to reduce the emissions and carbon footprint of the procedure. Solidia is trying hard to be part of the solution.
The history of Solidia
A decade ago, two scientists from Rutgers, Vahit Atakan and Rik Riman wanted to see if they could swap out limestone in the traditional process. They settled on a synthetic form of the mineral wollastonite. Solidia Technologies has acquired a patent for the process, which uses less energy and lower temperatures, thus reducing the process’s carbon footprint by nearly 70%.
Who they are
Solidia is a cement and concrete manufacturing company with a difference. Their unique patented technologies make it easy and profitable to make cement and concrete using less energy, less water, and lower emissions.
Core technologies
Two core technologies characterize Solidia’s approach and success:
- Sustainable cement production technology, and
- Sustainable concrete production technology.
Using artificial intelligence, production is equipped with intelligent curing that reduces waste, optimizes systems, and enhances quality control processes. Carbon emissions are addressed from both ends of the manufacturing process: within and without. Solidia’s technology reduces carbon emissions released in the production of cement while utilizing the carbon to turn it into calcium carbonate. Calcium carbonate then becomes a part of the concrete.
Solidia has had success in manufacturing cement using its process on 2 continents. The company has run successful demonstrations of concrete production in 50 manufacturing facilities across 10 countries.
Adoption by the industry
As a solution, Solidia’s technology is easy to adopt by players in the cement industry. Buying an entirely new kiln or changing any of the machinery in the manufacturing process is impractical and expensive. It would hamper the adoption of climate-friendly techniques.
Solidia’s process can be undertaken in existing manufacturing facilities and at about the same expense. CEO Tom Schuler believes that it will soon cost less than traditional cement manufacture.
The impact of Solidia’s technologies
Widespread adoption can have the following incredible impacts on the environment:
- Remove 1.5 gigatonnes of carbon dioxide from the air,
- Reduce the equivalent of 260 million oil barrels of energy consumption,
- Save 3 trillion liters of water,
- Save the planet from suffering 100 million tonnes of concrete in landfills,
- Halve mercury, nitrogen, and carbon emissions,
- Mitigate carbon taxes for many industry players as stricter emission regulations are enforced,
- Help the construction industry reach or surpass their carbon reduction goals.
Benefits of adopting Solidia technologies
Solidia does not just want to change the world. It wants people to be doing good business at the same time. Here are the benefits of adopting Solidia’s technologies for your own business:
- It can be implemented using existing manufacturing facilities, processes, and raw materials,
- Curing is done with carbon dioxide, saving on the water almost entirely,
- Curing is completed in a single day as against traditional concrete which can take up to 28 days,
- Its quick curing time gives a business the capacity to service just-in-time production and delivery,
- No efflorescence,
- It is more durable and offers more color versatility than traditional cement and concrete.
Partnership with LafargeHolcim
Solidia recently bagged a partnership with LafargeHolcim, one of the world’s leading building solutions corporations, to reduce carbon dioxide emissions across their value chain. The partnership will aim to do this through a combination of carbon emission reduction as well as carbon capture and storage within the blocks. Industrial pilots are ongoing in the UK, France, Germany, and Canada, with other pilot projects being instituted further.
Solidia is to supply the curing chambers while carbon dioxide is procured from external parties. LafargeHolcim is working towards utilizing the carbon dioxide captured in kilns located in Europe and North America.
Tomorrow’s world
Solidia uses the power of good governance, business, and awareness to create the world they would like to live in. The company shows us how harnessing the power of business and entrepreneurship can lead to better communities and better lives. They embody the principle of doing well by doing good.