Two researchers at Lakehead University in Thunder Bay have discovered a cement additive that would benefit the environment and could potentially boost the strength of concrete by up to 40 percent.
Lakehead University has licensed the technology for the cement additive to GreenCentre Canada, which is working with the university on additional testing and development.
GreenCentre Canada, which gets government funding and has industry sponsors, brings together academic researchers and industry partners to develop clean, less energy-intensive alternatives to traditional chemical products and manufacturing processes.
Dr. Lionel Catalan of the Department of Chemical Engineering and Dr. Stephen Kinrade of the Department of Chemistry developed the technology, which reduces the amount of portland cement needed to make concrete, according to the university.
In the production of portland cement, calcium carbonate and clay are heated at very high temperatures. This process produces an estimated 7 percent of all greenhouse gases annually, according to GreenCentre Canada. About 1.35 billion tons of portland cement are produced globally each year, releasing an equivalent amount of carbon dioxide into the air. (Portland cement is a term used to describe a variety of building materials valued for their strong adhesive properties when mixed with water, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.)
For Lakehead’s Innovation Management Office, the researchers’ work has resulted in the first technology license with an outside partner.
“This license to GreenCentre Canada is an important measure of the potential commercial value arising from Lakehead-based research, moving us one step closer to direct benefits to society and economic returns to the region,” says Barb Eccles, manager of Technology Transfer in Lakehead’s Innovation Management Office.