Starting next month (June 2023), the two companies will start trials of reduced-carbon products at 10 of Cemex’s French readymix plants. The ultimate aim is to be able to offer ‘low-carbon’ mixes throughout France and into other European markets.
Ecocem uses ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBFS) – a by-product of steel production – as a partial substitute for traditional cement.
By doing so, it reduces the need to burn limestone to make clinker, the basic ingredient in ordinary Portland cement. Traditional cement has been estimated to account for more than 90% of concrete’s carbon footprint.
The company claims to have “developed and delivered 20 million tonnes of low carbon cement in a range of formats, preventing 16 million tonnes of CO2 emissions from ever being produced”.
Cemex, which is one of the world’s largest producers of traditional cement products, says it wants to get below 430kg of CO2 per tonne of cementitious product by 2030 – a reduction of 47% – and reduce the carbon content of its concrete mixes by 35%.
Michel Andre, president of Cemex France, said: “We know that if we are to achieve our global ambition of operating as a net-zero business by 2050 we must prioritise exploring innovation and new technologies with like-minded companies who share our dedication to leading the industry’s transition to a lower carbon and circular economy.”
Donal O’Riain, founder and managing director of Ecocem, added: “Cemex has been a key partner for Ecocem since the inception of our business in France. Combining our strengths has huge potential to make considerable progress in supplying lower-carbon cementitious material for use in lower-carbon concrete. We are firmly committed to this partnership starting in France. It is only through working together we will make the progress needed to achieve decarbonisation targets.”
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