Solidia is expanding in San Antonio
Sustainable cement and concrete producer, Solidia, has announced plans to expand its supplementary cementitious material (SCM) production in San Antonio, TX.
Some context. The terms “cement” and “concrete” are often used interchangeably, but they are actually two different substances. Cement is made by grinding up cement clinker, which is made by combining limestone (calcium carbonate), sand (silicon dioxide), and other materials in a very hot kiln. Concrete is created by combining cement, SCMs, aggregates (like sand and gravel), plus water and air (for curing).
So, what’s going on here? The most common SCM used in concrete formulations is fly ash, which is the particulate matter produced by coal-burning power plants. In concrete formulations, SCMs can function as a cement substitute (they are cheaper because they are a byproduct of power plants) or as an additive (by improving something like the rheology, pumpability, or durability of the concrete). At the San Antonio site, Solidia plans to produce SCMs synthetically with CO2 and calcium silicates.
Bigger picture. Increased investment in carbon capture will present many opportunities for sequestration and utilization. While carbon credits and other incentives will accelerate investment in these spaces, the long-term solution has to be utilization; given the amount of CO2 being produced today, some big sinks are...
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