The ready mixed concrete industry is about to get greener thanks to a new partnership between Vulcan Materials Co. and CarbonCure Technologies of Nova Scotia, Canada.
Vulcan announced the industry’s first ready mixed license with CarbonCure. CarbonCure’s technology uses carbon dioxide gas captured from the smokestacks of industrial emitters to “improve the compressive strength of ready mixed concrete,” according ot hte company. The installation of the CarbonCure technology in Vulcan’s ready mixed concrete facility in Springfield, Va., means that Washington, D.C. will be the world’s first metropolitan market with access to this sustainable concrete.
“We at Vulcan are proud of our commitment to sustainability,” said Diggs Bishop, vice president/general manager, Vulcan Materials Co., Mideast Division. “The CarbonCure technology, which improves both sustainability and strength, is the future of the concrete industry. We’re excited to announce that the future starts here, in Washington, D.C.”
CarbonCure, founded in 2007, has in recent years established a foothold in the concrete masonry industry, boasting installations of the company’s technology with leading concrete masonry producers across North America. The partnership with Vulcan Materials marks the company’s much-anticipated launch into the multi-billion dollar global ready mixed market.
“CarbonCure is the concrete industry’s gateway to the green design community,” said Rob Niven, founder and CEO of CarbonCure. “The launch of the CarbonCure Ready Mixed Technology enables concrete producers to provide a solution that meets the demands of the design community for sustainable building products.”
Russell Perry, FAIA, LEED fellow and co-director of sustainability at the integrated design firm SmithGroupJJR is one of the many architects who continues to push the envelope in sustainable design.
Perry, who is based in Washington, said, “The concrete industry is about to take a positive leap forward. On behalf of SmithGroupJJR, I’d like to congratulate Vulcan on reducing the carbon footprint of its concrete through the addition of the CarbonCure technology.”