Construction World August 2022

and so reduce CO 2 emissions. Cost-effective solutions have been developed to increase process efficiency (a reduction in energy and production costs) and an improvement in the cement qual ity. “It is not just about producing more, it's about creating the technology that allows you to increase extenders. We launched our CHRYSO®ICARE range just before the pandemic. This range boosts cement compressive strengths to significantly reduce the cl inker factor and therefore the cement CO 2 footprint. It is specifically designed to enable the additional performance on top of our conventional ranges.” Changing the cement landscape around the world Not all countries have the abundance of fly ash and slag that South Africa can use in in green cement though. In this regard Hlatshwayo says that one of the most interesting developments in cement is LC3. This is a new type of cement that is based on a blend of l imestone and calcined clay – elements that occur more widely. “We are developing technologies to overcome the technical difficulties this cement has as it will change the cement landscape in many countries. When LC3 cements take off and we solve these technical challenges, this cement will make a huge advance in making cement greener around the world.” The increasing importance of recycling Today concrete producers are challenged by the scarcity of good qual ity aggregates. The development of admixtures that enable concrete to be formulated with a reduced environmental impact is also vital. Our CHRYSO®Quad range is the first comprehensive range of admixtures for use with challenging sands (lack and excess of fines and excess of clay),” he says. “In addition, our CHRYSO® Convert range allows for the re-use of returned concrete and concrete plant waste materials.” Looking inward “We are not just looking outward for ways to assist customers del iver green solutions, but also inward. “We have installed solar panels to run our production facil ity to rely less on coal fire power stations and have instituted various measures to reduce water usage. We have to be able to provide green solutions in a green way,” Hlatshwayo concludes. 

The solar installation at CHRYSO Southern Africa's Jet Park facility adds to CHRYSO's internal sustainability efforts.

equipment but the people skills and talent needed to create the chemistry to assist the customer,” says Hlatshwayo. “One of the things I'm most proud of is that while we transfer innovations and technology from the rest of the Group, we are able to contribute back our developed solutions so that other countries can benefit from our local R&D.” The changing face of admixtures In the past admixtures derived from various naturally occurring materials (e.g. sugar and salt) as well as by products from other industries (e.g. l ignosulfonates from the paper industry) were used. “Even though these are functional , the chemistries presented adverse side effects,” Hlatshwayo says. “Today,” he says, “we can design intell igent chemistry. We can manipulate the structural design of the various polymers that we use. We can change the shape, weight and size to achieve congruence with complex concrete appl ication and performance In short : admixtures have changed from incidentally natural occurring raw materials to by-products to intentionally designed chemistries which are now matching the different solutions,” says Hlatshwayo . Beyond performance and cost to greening the industry The main benefit of admixtures is increased performance, speed and cost. “Lately the focus of admixtures for concrete further allows for aesthetic and sustainable benefits,” says Hlatshwayo. “A key question for CHRYSO is how our innovations can contribute to making buildings greener,” he says. “This produces new technical challenges for us to overcome.” “Today it is all about creating the technology that allows the increased use of fly ash, l imestone or slag in cement as extenders to minimise the cl inker content

CHRYSO's innovations are focusing on its contributions to making construction sustainable.

39 CONSTRUCTION WORLD AUGUST 2022