Montreal-based CarbiCrete continues to ramp up commercialization efforts of its carbon-negative process for manufactured concrete production through an industrial-scale pilot project in partnership with Quebec hardscape manufacturer Patio Drummond. The cleantech company plans to produce up to 25,000 concrete masonry units (CMUs) daily at the Drummondville, Quebec plant when production begins in August 2020.
CarbiCrete’s patented technology replaces cement in the concrete mix with steel slag—a by-product of the steel-making process that is often placed into landfills—and cures it with carbon dioxide, avoiding the GHG emissions associated with cement production, while permanently sequestering CO2 within the resulting concrete products. In contrast with conventional iron slag, steel slag demonstrates very little hydraulic or pozzolanic behavior. Further, steel slag is the ideal binder for a process that uses CO2 for curing due to the presence of calcium silicate phases, notes Yuri Mytko, chief marketing officer for CarbiCrete.