Summit Materials, a leading vertically integrated construction materials company, announces Continental Cement Company, LLC ("Continental Cement"), a subsidiary of Summit, produced a 20 % Portland Limestone Cement (“PLC”), the lowest carbon Portland Limestone Cement to date as part of an innovative research project for the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) and the National Road Research Alliance project.
The research study, taking place at MnDOT's Materials & Road Research Lab, evaluates performance of low carbon cement and concrete products for utilization in future transportation infrastructure procurement and material selection as to reduce overall environmental impacts.
“Continental Cement is continually innovating to produce a more sustainable Portland Limestone Cement than what is offered today while working with partners such as MnDOT to prove their performance and gain approval as viable options to those currently permitted into today’s cement and concrete standard specifications,” commented David Loomes, Continental Cement President and Senior Vice President of Summit Materials. “Our participation in this research project is a great example of Summit’s commitment to become the most socially responsible construction materials company.”
Portland Limestone Cement is a blended cement with a higher limestone content, which results in a product that has similar performance characteristics as traditional Portland Cement, but with a reduction in carbon footprint of 10% on average. The cement produced for this project, known as Type IL(20) Cement, further reduces the carbon footprint of Portland Limestone Cement over what is currently allowed in US cement specifications, paving the way for discussions to further improve cement and concrete standards.
“The blended cement provided by Continental is an important part of this study because it is material that can be used in construction today and reduce greenhouse gases by 18-20% over traditional Portland Cement. This study will provide real-world data about how this cement performs in harsh exposures, which is needed to move this cement into everyday use,” said Larry Sutter of Sutter Engineering LLC, the cement and concrete industry expert contracted to test and evaluate the concrete's performance and generate a final report for MnDOT.
An established industry leader in championing lower carbon solutions, Continental Cement has converted 100% of its annual production to Portland Limestone Cement and its manufacturing facilities can readily transition to produce PLC IL(20) cement.
About Summit Materials
Summit Materials is a leading vertically integrated materials-based company that supplies aggregates, cement, ready-mix concrete and asphalt in the United States and British Columbia, Canada. Summit is a geographically diverse, materials-based business of scale that offers customers a single-source provider of construction materials and related downstream products in the public infrastructure, residential and nonresidential end markets. Summit has a strong track record of successful acquisitions since its founding and continues to pursue growth opportunities in new and existing markets.
About Continental Cement Company
Continental Cement Company is a leading provider of cement based in Chesterfield, MO with plants in Hannibal, MO and Davenport, IA and 9 distribution terminals along the Mississippi River between Minneapolis, MN and New Orleans, LA. Continental Cement has built its business on consistent quality, superior service, and delivering a great experience since they began producing cement at their Hannibal location in 1903. The Company provides high quality cement for projects along the Mississippi corridor and is a subsidiary of Summit Materials, Inc.
