The Finnish concrete manufacturer Lujabetoni and materials technology company Betolar to develop a new technology that will introduce new low-carbon concrete products to the industry. The application areas will range from construction elements to cast-in-place products in Finland and internationally.
Lujabetoni and Betolar have entered a partnership to improve the consolidation rate of low-carbon concrete manufactured from CEM III cement containing GGBFS blast furnace slag. Due to the natural attributes of blast furnace slag, early strength development is slower than with traditional technologies, which presents challenges to the construction process as a whole.
“This new solution opens up a very broad range of applications for low-carbon concrete and will improve the efficiency of the entire construction process and the feasibility of low-carbon concrete at production plants as well as construction sites. The aim of our cooperation with Betolar is to solve this challenge and make the solution globally available,” says Mikko Isotalo, CEO of Lujabetoni.
Lower-carbon CEM III cement products – whose use has increased quickly, especially in Central Europe – are aimed at reducing the climate impacts of concrete.
The new solution is based on the use of additives that serve as accelerants in the concrete consolidation process. Betolar, who specialise in construction materials technology, had developed the additive technology that enhances the early strength development of concrete.
“We are close to a breakthrough with regard to the attributes of cement products that contain high levels of GGBFS blast furnace slag. If we can solve the challenges associated with the structure and attributes of concrete binder, it will be possible to replace the use of traditional cement in the concrete industry. This would significantly reduce the climate impacts of the construction sector,” says Lasse Happonen, MD, Precast & ready-mix at Betolar.
