Summary
- Profile Type
- Technology offer
- POD Reference
- TOGB20240729011
- Term of Validity
- 29 July 2024 - 29 July 2025
- Company's Country
- United Kingdom
- Type of partnership
- Commercial agreement with technical assistance
- Targeted Countries
- All countries
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General information
- Short Summary
- A UK company with innovative range of low carbon binders which are “drop in” replacements for 'Ordinary Portland Cement' (OPC) proven across a wide range of concrete applications, seeks commercial partners in the construction sector to help them scale up their manufacturing process and take their products to market. A commercial agreement with technical assistance is sought.
- Full Description
-
The company is a UK based start-up which is backed by a larger business operating in the commercial property and business investment field. The start-up is now looking to scale. The founder is a chemical engineer with extensive experience in academia and industry.
They have discovered a chemical process that activates the hardening of the concrete mixture, unlike the crystallisation and hydration process associated with Ordinary Portland Cement. This carefully calculated process can be tailored to meet various concrete application requirements. As it is a chemical reaction, it allows for the inclusion of a wide variety of waste materials in the mix. The concept is that materials should be used that are local to where the concrete will be produced, thereby minimising carbon footprint associated with transportation.
The company has developed a range of high-performance OPC-free binders that have a substantially reduced (>65%) Global Warming Potential (GWP) and enable the production of concrete with superior engineering properties.
The company's innovative binders can produce a range of concrete grades suitable for diverse industries and applications.
Ideal concrete applications are porous (pervious), pre-cast structures, cladding panels, marine structures.
Since the company's binder-based concrete relies on a chemical bonding process, it has been possible to tailor the chemical composition for properties such as high strength, high permeability, shock absorption, conductivity, water durability, or rapid setting.
The UK company is seeking to partner with manufacturers who can introduce and integrate the cement in their cement formulation into their concrete production process and products.
A commercial agreement with technical assistance is sought. - Advantages and Innovations
-
Recent trials show that the UK company's binders require a minimum of 10% less cement, results in 5% lighter concrete, and uses less water, making them environmentally and economically advantageous.
Manufacturing conventional cement based on OPC is one of the world's most carbon intensive industries. Concrete is the second most used material in the world after water and demand for concrete continues to grow; global cement demand is widely expected to increase at 4-5% per annum to almost 5 billion metric tons in 2030. In order to mitigate climate change and reduce the impact of cement production (which is thought to be the source of up to 10% of global CO2 emissions), alternatives to OPC must be developed.
This companies’ new formulation seeks to make a positive contribution to climate change mitigation; a recent Life Cycle Analysis exercise demonstrated that their new binder has at least a 65% lower GWP (Global Warming Potential) when compared with OPC. - Stage of Development
- Available for demonstration
- Sustainable Development Goals
- Goal 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities
- Goal 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure
- Goal 12: Responsible Consumption and Production
- Goal 13: Climate Action
- IPR status
- IPR granted
- IPR notes
- Further patent pending approval.
Partner Sought
- Expected Role of a Partner
-
Having proven their OPC-free binders are highly effective across a range of applications, the company is now seeking commercial partner(s) in the construction sector to help them scale up their manufacturing process and take their products to market.
Ideal partners include concrete product manufacturers (e.g. pre-casters) looking to improve the sustainability of their products, and construction contractors and specifiers; businesses with materials blending capability, plus laboratory and testing facilities to continue R&D of new binder formulations, would be a particularly good fit.
Whilst the company can supply small tonnage quantities of novel binders via existing contractors, they ideally seek partners with in-house milling and blending capability (which could be used to produce and pack the binder at larger volumes) plus a captive demand for binders to produce concrete products for use in pilot projects.
Furthermore, more resource is required in the company in terms of laboratory and concrete testing facilities and skilled personnel to allow further R&D of new binders' formulations.
Type of partner sought: Large scale concrete products' manufacturers with legislative and Corporate and Social Responsibility imperatives to reduce their carbon footprint.
Target sector: Construction industry, infrastructure, built environment.
Role/tasks to be performed by the partner: milling, blending, use of binders in projects, and supporting the UK company with further testing for ongoing new products' R&D - Type and Size of Partner
- SME 11-49
- SME <=10
- Big company
- SME 50 - 249
- Type of partnership
- Commercial agreement with technical assistance
Dissemination
- Technology keywords
- 02006001 - Materials, components and systems for construction
- 02006002 - Construction methods and equipment
- Market keywords
- 09007004 - Engineering and consulting services related to construction
- 09007002 - Manufacture of construction materials, components and systems
- Sector Groups Involved
- Construction
- Targeted countries
- All countries