Seratech’s Technology Explained
I first wrote about Seratech in Carbon-Neutral Concrete Prototype Wins €100k Architecture Prize For UK Scientists, after reading about this carbon-neutral concrete in the Architect’s Journal.
I have just received Seratech’s October 2023 Newsletter, which contains two must-read articles.
Olivine In The Age Of Climate Crisis
I’d never heard of olivine until I read about the architecture prize, that was won by Seratech.
This is the Wikipedia entry for olivine.
These are the first three paragraphs of Seratech’s article.
On the west coast of Norway, a few kilometres from the village of Åheim, is an open excavation pit – home to the largest commercial olivine deposit in the world.
This seaside quarry, run by Belgian industrial minerals company, Sibelco, works to extract olivine from the earth’s crust by drilling, blasting and crushing. A single blast (used to break up the rocks) removes up to 40,000 tonnes of olivine.
The site is predominantly powered by hydroelectricity and boasts a 4km conveyor system for transport which limits the need for heavy vehicle or double-handling of materials in a bid to reduce emissions.
This is Sibelco’s video of their impressive mining process.
Note.
The mining operation is fully-integrated with its own ort.
- The video does the mining operation justice.
- Sibelco aim to make the mining of olivine carbon-neutral.
Olivine has this Wikipedia entry, which gives more information.
This Google Map shows the port complex at Åheim.
It looks like mine, processing and port all on one site.
The Big Interview With Mike Eberlin
This is the sub-heading.
Former Managing Director of Tarmac Cement & Lime and chair of MPA Cement, Mike Eberlin, became Seratech’s business advisor in June this year. He was intrigued by the novel technology Sam Draper and Barney Shanks had uncovered
These paragraphs are a summary of what Mike Eberlin said.
As we begin to talk, Mike is quick to point out there are two big advantages to Seratech: “They are using magnesium silicate as a starting material which produces silica as a cement replacement and magnesium oxide which can then absorb CO2”.
The CO2 absorption is what fascinates Mike as the type of magnesium carbonate Seratech produces is a “slightly unstable” version which when cured, becomes stable and reverts to the rock-like substance you would find in nature. “This came as a surprise because the chemistry wouldn’t indicate that was possible,” he explains.
Following this discovery, and as Seratech’s research progressed, it soon became apparent that the magnesium carbonate lends itself well as a binder and can be used in applications like building blocks and plasterboard: “It’s effectively carbon capture and use, not carbon capture and storage because you are mineralising the CO2 into a product.
“We end up in this clever situation whereby it’s not that we don’t emit the CO2, it’s better than that, we absorb CO2 and create two binders that replace cement”.
That’s what I call an endorsement.
Conclusion
I have this feeling that Seratech will be a very significant company in a couple of years.
Low-Carbon Concrete: Separating Greenwash From Reality
The title of this post is the same as that of this article from Construction Management.
This is the sub-heading.
Tales of low-carbon concrete abound, but what exactly does that mean? Kristina Smith looks at what’s in the mix.
This is a paragraph, which shows the scale of the problem.
The oft-quoted statistic is that cement contributes to 7% of the world’s carbon emissions. However, MPA says that in the UK concrete and cement account for just 1.5% of emissions. “From 1990 we have reduced our absolute emissions by 53%, which is faster than the overall economy, mainly by improving energy efficiency at the plants,” says Khosravi.
Noushin Khosravi, is sustainable construction manager at the Concrete Centre, which is part of Mineral Products Association (MPA).
Companies mentioned include.
- Capital Concrete with their Earth Friendly Concrete.
- CarbonCure Technologies, which I wrote about in Mote – World’s First Carbon Removal Plant Converting Wood Waste To Hydrogen.
- Seratech, which I wrote about in Carbon-Neutral Concrete Prototype Wins €100k Architecture Prize For UK Scientists.
I find the Seratech process amazing as it takes carbon dioxide straight from flues to make the cement.
Could we fit a Seratech cement process on the back of a gas-fired power station?
The article is a must-read summary of where the technology is with respect to low-carbon concrete.
Carbon-Neutral Concrete Prototype Wins €100k Architecture Prize For UK Scientists
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on the Architect’s Journal.
Under a picture of two white-coated scientists with their protective boots on concrete samples, the story and their invention is outlined.
A pair of PhD students at Imperial College London have won a global architecture prize for devising a groundbreaking method of creating carbon-neutral concrete
Material scientists Sam Draper and Barney Shanks landed the €100,000 2022 Obel Award with their ‘simple way’ to capture carbon from industrial production processes and create an end product that can eliminate the CO₂ footprint of concrete.
The prototype technology, dubbed Seratech, takes industrial CO₂ emissions directly from flues and produces a carbon-negative cement replacement material (silica). According to the scientists, when this is used in combination with Portland cement, the carbon capture associated with producing the silica means the concrete products can be zero carbon.
One of the products, we will need in the world is concrete and if we can make it in a carbon-neutral manner, then that will surely reduce worldwide carbon emissions.
The Technology Explained
This page on the Seratech website is entitled Our Technology.
It gives this description of the technology.
Seratech has developed a process that consumes olivine and waste CO₂ from flue gases and produces two products which both have significant value in construction.
Silica is produced which can be used as a supplementary cementitious material (SCM) in concrete meaning the amount of Portland cement in the concrete can be reduced by up to 40%. As the silica comes from a process that captures CO₂ it is “carbon negative” and the concrete can become carbon neutral.
Magnesium carbonate is produced that can be used to make a range of zero carbon construction materials and consumer products, including alternatives to building blocks and plasterboard.
The aim is for humanity to be able to continue building robust cities and infrastructure, but without the climate cost of traditional cement mixes and with the Seratech technology this goal is achievable!
Note that olivine in Europe is generally mined in Norway.
Replacement Of Steel By Concrete
Could we also replace steel in some applications with concrete?
In UK Cleantech Consortium Awarded Funding For Energy Storage Technology Integrated With Floating Wind, I talked about some of ground-breaking methods used by a company called RCAM Technologies to create infrastructure using 3D printing of concrete.
If Imperial’s concrete, which is called Seratech can be 3D printed, I can see lots of applications for the technology.
So you could kill two sources of large carbon emissions with one technology.
Conclusion
I have said on this blog before, that we will have to keep or even build more gas-fired power stations, as they can be an efficient source of pure carbon dioxide, that will be needed as a feedstock to create an increasing number of agricultural and building products.
The Anonymous Widower 