Construction World April 2021

CEMENT & CONCRETE

CHRYSO reduces CO 2 for the cement industry.

BUILDINGA SUSTAINABLE INDUSTRY Globally CHRYSO’s sustainability aim is twofold: it wants to create wealth while encouraging social progress and minimising its ecological footprint. This is done through its offering of admixture solutions for the green revolution, specifically the aim of reducing the construction industry’s impact on the environment with focus on CO 2 reduction. Construction World spoke to Hannes Engelbrecht, Concrete Unit Business Director for CHRYSO South Africa about how it is contributing to this drive in the Southern African construction context, especially its aim to provide products to allow interaction between cement and concrete to reduce its overall CO 2 footprint.

Vertical integration of new technology “CHRYSO has two legs: the first is its focus on the cement producers where strategies for the optimal performance of clinker optimisation and increased use of SCMs (supplementary cementitious materials), while the second in its focus on the concrete manufacturers. Our sustainability focus starts with the producers of cement whom we aim to assist with CO 2 reduction so as to minimise the CO 2 tax that will be implemented locally,” Engelbrecht explains. He says that one of the ways it aims to reduce CO 2 for the cement industry is by integrating several technologies into the cement plant and the cement manufacturing process to reduce the clinker ratio. “Local players are increasingly being forced to start blending their cement with SCM (supplementary cementitious materials). If they do not, they will have to contend with huge taxes.” SCMs are industrial

by-products which, when used as a partial replacement for Portland cements, reduce the amount of cement that is required for producing quality concrete. Because of these new cements that will be available on the market are borne out of the CO 2 reduction, Engelbrecht says the concrete aspect of CHRYSO’s focus is similarly aimed at further CO 2 reduction. “Typically end users of the new cements include readymix and precast concrete product producers, as well as mining and construction companies. Therefore, our construction chemical solutions vertically integrate the new technology from a cement producer down to the concrete producer – enabling them to use the new cements to produce cost effective concrete with improved durability and quality aspects. We need to enable them to improve their concrete performance and adapt to the new cements available in the market.,” Engelbrecht says. CHRYSO’s offering to end-users “We need to provide technology that enables concrete producers early acceleration of concrete. CHRYSO has launched a new accelerator package for these highly extended cements,” says Engelbrecht. This is underpinned by what we call Enviromix technology in our CHRYSO ® XEL range. These products are specifically designed for increased SCMs in cement. “The bottom line is that CHRYSO has an extensive range of admixtures suitable for all types of cementitious materials and concrete production requirements ,” adds Engelbrecht. He says that CHRYSO has also launched its CHRYSO ® Alpha range, an end-to-end range of concrete admixtures specifically for dry and semi-dry precast applications. “Each product in this range meets high performance levels in terms of concrete compaction, mechanical strength and aesthetic quality,” says Engelbrecht. This will satisfy the increased demand for bricks and blocks that developed during 2020 and is driven by private spend. “It is a two-part-technology: this range will assist dry precast manufacturers with their early production while

Hannes Engelbrecht, CHRYSO SAF Concrete Unit Business Director.

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