Global Cement
Online condition monitoring experts for proactive and predictive maintenance - DALOG
Regal Rexnord - One partner for cement - See solutions
  • Home
  • News
  • Conferences
  • Magazine
  • Directory
  • Reports
  • Members
  • Live
  • Login
  • Advertise
  • Knowledge Base
  • Alternative Fuels
  • Privacy & Cookie Policy
  • About
  • Trial subscription
  • Contact
News startup

Displaying items by tag: startup

Subscribe to this RSS feed

Queens Carbon to build carbon-neutral alternative cement pilot plant at Buzzi Unicem USA’s Stockertown cement plant

01 May 2025

US: Queens Carbon has secured US$10m in seed funding to scale up production of its novel cement and supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs). The start-up will build a 2000t/yr demonstration plant at strategic partner Buzzi Unicem USA's Stockertown, Pennsylvania, cement plant. The plant will demonstrate Queens Carbon’s low-energy Q-Reactor technology, which employs novel hydrothermal chemistry, with the help of steam and pressure, to combine standard cement feedstocks into carbon-neutral hydraulic cement and SCMs. The company’s flagship product, Q-SCM, is capable of replacing up to 50% of cement in concrete mixes. Queens Carbon says that it will now also begin preparations for its first full-scale commercial plant.

Buzzi Unicem USA was among investors in the seed funding round, led by Climate technologies investor Clean Energy Ventures, with participation from fellow venture capital firm Plug and Play.

Queens Carbon CEO Daniel Kopp said "With support from Clean Energy Ventures, Buzzi Unicem USA and the US Department of Energy, we're building next-generation technology and assembling the creative talent needed to drive industry revenues to move cement innovation forward and significantly reduce CO2 emissions from cement production, all without a green premium."

Luigi Buzzi, Chief Technology Officer at Italy-based Buzzi, said "We know that achieving our goal of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 demands forward-thinking solutions to enhance both our operations and our environmental performance.”

Published in Global Cement News
Read more...

Global Cement and Concrete Association launches Innovandi Open Challenge 2025 for low-carbon concrete

21 February 2025

Global: Global Cement and Concrete Association (GCCA) has launched the Innovandi Open Challenge 2025, inviting start-ups to wok together with cement manufacturers around the world in developing low carbon concrete technologies.

The Open Challenge is looking for start-ups working on next generation materials for net zero concrete, including low-carbon admixtures, supplementary cementitious materials, activators or binders. The challenge aims to find ways to reduce clinker use and incorporate new materials to lower CO₂ emissions.

The programme follows three previous Open Challenges.

Chief executive Thomas Guillot said "Advanced production methods which are decarbonising our sector are already being used in cement and concrete production in many parts of the world. Through the Innovandi Open Challenge, start-ups can bring in even newer ideas and further accelerate our industry's push."

“If you are a start-up from anywhere in the world with an innovative idea or technology, then we want to hear from you."

Start-ups can find more information and apply to take part in the Innovandi Open Challenge by going to the GCCA Open Challenge 4 webpage: Innovandi Open Challenge 4 : GCCA

Published in Global Cement News
Read more...

Indian startup develops ‘eco-friendly’ cement alternative

19 December 2024

India: A Bangalore-based startup formed at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) has developed an ‘eco-friendly’ cement alternative using geopolymer technology. The product claims to reduce CO₂ emissions by 21.5kg/m2 of pavers produced compared to ordinary Portland cement, according to The Economic Times. It also claims to eliminate water use and offer a 15-20% cost advantage. The product achieves full strength in just three days, compared to the 28 days required for Portland cement.

Nanjunda Rao, one of four cofounders of Novacret and chief research scientist at IISc, said “The benefits are significant, geopolymer-based materials achieve full strength in just three days in tropical climates like India, compared to the 28 days required for Portland cement.”

Published in Global Cement News
Read more...

New developments in alternative cement

16 October 2024

One unusual thing about coverage of cement in the media is the way that discussions often centre precisely on its absence – that is, on alternatives to cement. These alternatives boast unique chemistries and performance characteristics, but are all produced without Portland cement clinker. They are generally called ‘alternative cements,’ perhaps because ‘cement-free cement’ does not have such a commercially viable ring to it. This contradictory tendency reached a new high in the past week, with developments in alternative cement across Asia, Europe, the Middle East and North America. Together, they hint at a more diverse future for the ‘cement’ industry than the one we know today.

Asia

In Indonesia, Suvo Strategic Minerals has concluded tests with Makassar State University of a novel nickel-slag-based cement. Huadi Nickel-Alloy Indonesia supplied raw materials, and tests showed a seven-day compressive strength of 37.5MPa. Suvo Strategic Minerals says that a partnership with Huadi Nickel-Alloy Indonesia for commercial production is a likely next step.

Europe

Cement producer Mannok and minerals company Boliden partnered with the South Eastern Applied Materials (SEAM) research centre in Ireland to launch a project to develop supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs) from shale on 7 October 2024. The project will additionally investigate CO2-curing of cement paste backfill for use in mines. Irish state-owned global commerce agency Enterprise Ireland has contributed €700,000 in funding.

UK-based SCM developer Karbonite expects to launch trial production of its olivine-based SCM with a concrete company in 2025. The start-up launched Karbonite Group Holding BV, with offices in the Netherlands, to facilitate this new phase. Karbonite’s SCM is activated at 750 – 850°C and sequesters CO2 in the activation process, resulting in over 56% lower CO2 emissions than ordinary Portland cement (OPC). Managing director Rajeev Sood told Global Cement that talks are already underway for subsequent expansions into the UAE and India.

Back in the UK, contractor John Sisk & Son has received €597,000 from national innovation agency Innovate UK. John Sisk & Son is testing fellow Ireland-based company Ecocem’s <25% clinker cement technology in concrete for use in its on-going construction of the Wembley Park mixed development in London.

At the same time, Innovate UK granted a further €3.23m to other companies for concrete decarbonisation. Recipients included a calcined clay being developed by Cemcor, an SCM being developed from electric arc furnace byproducts by Cocoon, a geopolymer cement technology being developed by EFC Green Concrete Technology UK and an initiative to develop alternative cement from recycled concrete fines at the Materials Processing Institute in Middlesbrough. Also included was the Skanska Costain Strabag joint venture, which is working on the London stretch of the upcoming HS2 railway. The joint venture, along with partners including cement producer Tarmac and construction chemicals company Sika UK, will test low-kaolinite London clay as a raw material with which to produce calcined clay as a cement substitute in concrete structures in HS2’s rail tunnels.

Middle East

Talks are underway between UK-based calcined clay producer Next Generation SCM and City Cement subsidiary Nizak Mining Company over the possible launch of a joint venture in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The joint venture would build a 350,000t/yr reduced-CO2 concrete plant, which would use alternative cement based on Next Generation SCM’s calcined clay.

North America

Texas-based SCM developer Solidia Technologies recently patented its carbonatable calcium silicate-based alternative cement, which sequesters CO2 as it cures.

Meanwhile, C-Crete Technologies made its first commercial pour of its granite-based cement-free concrete in New York, US. C-Crete Technologies says that the product offers cost and performance parity with conventional cement, with net zero CO2 emissions. Its raw material is globally more abundant than the limestone used as a raw material for clinker. Other abundantly available feedstocks successfully deployed within C-Crete Technologies’ repertoire include basalt and zeolite.

Across New York State, in Binghamton, KLAW Industries has succeeded in replacing 20% of concrete’s cement content with its powdered glass-based SCM, Pantheon. KLAW Industries has delivered samples to local municipalities and the New York State Department of Transportation. Its success expands the discussion of possible circular cement ingredients from the industrial sphere into post-consumer resources.

In Calgary, Canada, a novel SCM has drawn attention from one of the major cement incumbents: Germany-based Heidelberg Materials. It invested in local construction and demolition materials (CDM)-based SCM developer EnviCore on 9 October 2024. The companies plan to build a pilot plant at an existing Heidelberg Materials CDM recycling centre.

Conclusion

Alternative cement developers are still finding the words to talk about their products. They may be more than ‘supplementary’ up to the point of entirely supplanting 100% of clinker. Product webpages offer ‘hydraulic binder,’ ‘pozzolan’ and even ‘cement.’ As alternative ‘cements’ are developed, they build on the work of pioneers like Joseph Aspdin and Louis Vicat. Start-ups and their backers are now reaching commercial offerings, on a similar-but-different footing to cement itself. None of these novel materials positions itself as the sole, last-minute ‘super sub’ in the construction sector’s confrontation with climate change. Rather, they are a package of solutions which can combine into a net zero-emissions heavy building materials offering, hopefully before 2050.

Related to this is the need for ‘technology neutral’ standards, as championed this week by the Alliance for Low-Carbon Cement and Concrete (ALCCC), along with 23 other European industry associations, civil society organisations and think tanks. The term may sound new, but the concept is critical to the eventual uptake of alternative cements: standards, the ALCCC says, should be purely performance-based. They ought not attempt to define what technology, for example cement clinker, makes a suitable building material. According to the ALCCC, Europe’s building materials standards are not technology neutral, but instead ‘gatekeep’ market access, to the benefit of conventional cement and the exclusion of ‘proven and scalable low-carbon products.’

At the same time, cement itself is changing. Market research from USD Analytics showed an anticipated 5% composite annual growth rate in blended cement sales between 2024 and 2032, more than doubling throughout the period from US$253bn to US$369bn. If you can’t beat it, blend with it!

 

For a further discussion of alternative cement and binders in Europe, see Global Cement’s interview with ALCCC co-ordinator Joren Verschaeve in the forthcoming November issue of Global Cement Magazine on 17 October 2024.

Published in Analysis
Read more...

Heidelberg Materials invests in EnviCore for circular construction solutions

10 October 2024

Canada: Heidelberg Materials has invested in EnviCore, a Canada-based startup that is developing low-carbon solutions. Together, the companies will focus on increasing the use of recycled construction and demolition materials as supplementary cementitious materials (SCM). This collaboration includes planning a pilot SCM production facility near one of Heidelberg Materials' recycling hubs, pending an upcoming feasibility study. Heidelberg Materials has also acquired a minority stake in EnviCore.

Katharina Beumelbur, chief sustainability and new technologies officer and member of the managing board of Heidelberg Materials, said “EnviCore’s novel approach has the potential to unlock new possibilities of increasing the amount of recycled materials we use in our products. This could pave the way to further reduce our need for virgin materials, contributing towards preserving valuable natural resources and protecting our environment.”

Published in Global Cement News
Read more...

Shree Cement partners with DPIIT to support startups

09 October 2024

India: Shree Cement has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) to support startups in India's manufacturing sector. This partnership aligns with the government's ‘Make in India’ vision to encourage domestic manufacturing and build a self-reliant economy. Through this collaboration, startups will gain access to Shree Cement’s industrial expertise, network and resources, which will help them scale their operations and develop solutions. This initiative is expected to create new job opportunities, boost local production and reduce import dependency.

Published in Global Cement News
Read more...

Fortera secures new funding for low-carbon cement production

20 August 2024

US: Fortera has raised US$85m in a funding round to increase its production of ‘low to zero-carbon’ cement, Bloomberg reports. New investors include Wollemi Capital, Saint-Gobain venture capital arm NOVA, Presidio Ventures and Alumni Ventures, alongside existing investors Khosla Ventures and Singapore state fund Temasek.

The startup, valued at US$355m, utilises a technology that captures CO₂ emissions from traditional cement production and converts them into a mineral form for low-carbon cement. Fortera's first industrial ‘green’ cement plant operates at CalPortland's facility in Redding, California.

Published in Global Cement News
Read more...

UK startup Cocoon raises €4.9m to decarbonise cement industry

13 August 2024

UK: UK-based startup Cocoon has raised €4.9m in pre-seed funding to develop technology that repurposes byproducts from electrified steel furnaces into a ‘near-identical replacement’ for blast furnace slag, according to the company. The modular technology integrates into existing steel-making processes without disrupting operations or requiring high capital expenditure, reports UK Tech News. Cocoon targets a 50% replacement of cement in concrete, aiming to reduce emissions for producers. Initial tests are underway at a steel plant in northern England, followed by another in the US.

Cocoon CEO Eliot Brooks said "We’re turning a byproduct with little use into a valuable product that the market badly needs and can be easily integrated into existing supply chains. By repairing a broken link in the circular economy, Cocoon provides steel makers with a new revenue stream while meeting the low-carbon material needs of the concrete industry. For every 1t of Cocoon’s slag-based cementitious material used, 1t of CO₂ can be avoided."

Brooks hopes Cocoon's climate technology will be integrated into a pilot plant by late 2025.

Published in Global Cement News
Read more...

Vineyard Offshore to purchase low-carbon cement from Sublime Systems

12 July 2024

US: Vineyard Offshore has agreed to buy 2000t of cement from Sublime Systems, a Massachusetts startup planning a US$150m ‘carbon-free’ cement plant in the city. The cement will be used for turbine platforms and onshore civil works within the Vineyard Wind 2 project, aiming to reduce its carbon footprint. This agreement is contingent on the project's selection in upcoming solicitations.

Published in Global Cement News
Read more...

NCB launches new incubation centre in New Delhi

22 May 2024

India: The National Council for Cement and Building Materials has inaugurated the NCB Incubation Centre (NCB-IC) in New Delhi, designed to support small businesses and startups in the cement industry through mentorship, training and access to advanced laboratories.

This initiative is expected to create new opportunities for employment and technology development in the region, while also contributing to the overall growth and development of the country.

This development is part of the government's broader strategy to enhance the cement sector's contribution to national growth by promoting market-ready products and services.

Published in Global Cement News
Read more...
  • Start
  • Prev
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
  • Next
  • End
Page 1 of 5
Loesche - Innovative Engineering
PrimeTracker - The first conveyor belt tracking assistant with 360° rotation - ScrapeTec
UNITECR Cancun 2025 - JW Marriott Cancun - October 27 - 30, 2025, Cancun Mexico - Register Now
Acquisition Cemex China CO2 coronavirus data decarbonisation Export France Germany Government grinding plant HeidelbergCement Holcim Import India Investment LafargeHolcim market Mexico Nigeria Pakistan Plant Production Results Sales Sustainability UK Upgrade US
« June 2025 »
Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun
            1
2 3 4 5 6 7 8
9 10 11 12 13 14 15
16 17 18 19 20 21 22
23 24 25 26 27 28 29
30            



Sign up for FREE to Global Cement Weekly
Global Cement LinkedIn
Global Cement Facebook
Global Cement X
  • Home
  • News
  • Conferences
  • Magazine
  • Directory
  • Reports
  • Members
  • Live
  • Login
  • Advertise
  • Knowledge Base
  • Alternative Fuels
  • Privacy & Cookie Policy
  • About
  • Trial subscription
  • Contact
  • Global CemBoards
  • Global CemCCUS
  • Global CemFuels
  • Global Concrete
  • Global FutureCem
  • Global Gypsum
  • Global GypSupply
  • Global Insulation
  • Global Slag
  • Latest issue
  • Articles
  • Editorial programme
  • Contributors
  • Back issues
  • Subscribe
  • Photography
  • Register for free copies
  • The Last Word
  • Global Gypsum
  • Global Slag
  • Global CemFuels
  • Global Concrete
  • Global Insulation
  • Pro Global Media
  • PRoIDS Online
  • LinkedIn
  • Facebook
  • X

© 2025 Pro Global Media Ltd. All rights reserved.