CDS Group and Solidia Technologies Collaborate on New Curing Chamber Technology Designed to Cure Concrete with CO2 for Pre-cast Applications
R&D strives to make it easy and profitable for industry to adopt technology that lowers production cost, improves performance and helps meet carbon reduction targets
Piscataway and Rockaway, N.J., January 14, 2015 —U.S. start-up Solidia Technologies® signed a partnership agreement with CDS Group, the world’s largest curing and drying specialist company, to collaborate on the development of equipment designed to cure concrete with carbon dioxide (CO2) instead of water for precast applications. The innovations will include technological upgrades for existing curing chambers and the design and manufacture of new curing chambers to accommodate Solidia’s patented CO2-curing process.
“Solidia’s technology will extend our commitment to delivering sustainable innovations to the global building materials market,” said Andrew J. Hall, President of U.S. operations of U.K.-based CDS Group. Previous sustainable technology from CDS includes Envirocure systems, with many uses throughout the concrete manufacturing industry, from decorative to structural, including paving, block, pipe and large pre-cast items. Because CDS is marketed worldwide, CDS is fully conversant with the regulations that may occur in countries across the globe and can provide systems that have technical and regulatory approval.
Solidia’s CO2-based concrete curing technology utilizes Solidia Cement™ manufactured using the novel chemistry developed by Solidia. The patented technology allows lower CO2 emissions in the cement production process and involves the capture of CO2 in precast concrete manufacturing. Overall, CO2 emissions could be reduced by up to 70 percent, and 60 to 100 percent of the water used in production could be recycled.
The technology offers manufacturers significant cost savings compared to water-based curing of conventional cement based on faster curing times, lower energy and raw material consumption, reduced waste generation and reduced labor requirements, while improving the performance of building materials, using existing equipment, materials and formulas.
“We are thrilled that CDS joins the global industry leaders who are collaborating with us to deliver turn-key solutions to manufacturers that deliver both added value and cost savings while reducing their carbon footprint,” said Solidia President and CEO Tom Schuler. “Our primary R&D focus is to make it easy and profitable for manufacturers to adopt our technology. Modifying new or existing chambers will minimize capital investment for our customers.”
CDS joins The Linde Group, a global leader in the industrial gas market, who has extended its CO2 supply and delivery expertise to technology development and commercialization. Combined with Lafarge, a world leader in cement production and concrete application development, Solidia has assembled an influential and well-respected partnership to launch its new technology worldwide.
Government R&D funding and testing reinforces Solidia’s technology and product development. The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration supports Solidia with a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) to examine transportation infrastructure applications at the Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center, and the U.S. Department of Energy's National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) has co-funded a four-year research and development project as part of its CO2 Storage Program.
Long-term research continues at Rutgers University, where the original generation of the technology was developed, and collaborative research efforts are underway in laboratories at Purdue University, Ohio University, and the University of South Florida. The strength and durability of Solidia Concrete has been verified according to ASTM and AASHTO specification by the CTLGroup, formerly the R&D laboratory of the Portland Cement Association.
Based in Piscataway, N.J. (USA), Solidia’s investors include Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, Bright Capital, BASF, BP, Lafarge, Total Energy Ventures, Bill Joy and other private investors. Follow Solidia Technologies at www.solidiatech.com and on LinkedIn, YouTube and Twitter: @SolidiaCO2.
The U.K.-based CDS Group has risen to the top of a competitive global market as a result of its ongoing commitment to evolution through sustainability, durability and innovation. Their partnership with Solidia represents an unprecedented coming together of industry leading engineers, ushering in a new era of environmentally conscious, sustainable development that the global community can benefit from together. Keep up with updates from the CDS Group by following them at www.CDS-Group.Co.UK and on LinkedIn and Twitter: @CDS_IncUS.
