CDS Group and Solidia Technologies Collaborate on New Curing Chamber Technology

U.S. start-up Solidia Technologies signed a partnership agreement with CDS Group, a curing and drying specialist company, to collaborate on the development of equipment designed to cure concrete with carbon dioxide (CO2) instead of water for precast applications. The innovations will include technological upgrades for existing curing chambers and the design and manufacture of new curing chambers to accommodate Solidia’s patented CO2-curing process.

“Solidia’s technology will extend our commitment to delivering sustainable innovations to the global building materials market,” says Andrew J. Hall, President of U.S. operations of U.K.-based CDS Group. Previous sustainable technology from CDS includes Envirocure systems, with many uses throughout the concrete manufacturing industry, from decorative to structural, including paving, block, pipe and large pre-cast items. Because CDS is marketed worldwide, CDS is fully conversant with the regulations that may occur in countries across the globe and can provide systems that have technical and regulatory approval.

Solidia’s CO2-based concrete curing technology utilizes Solidia Cement manufactured using the novel chemistry developed by Solidia. The patented technology allows lower CO2 emissions in the cement production process and involves the capture of CO2 in precast concrete manufacturing. Overall, CO2 emissions could be reduced by up to 70 percent, and 60 to 100 percent of the water used in production could be recycled.

The technology offers manufacturers significant cost savings compared to water-based curing of conventional cement based on faster curing times, lower energy and raw material consumption, reduced waste generation and reduced labor requirements, while improving the performance of building materials, using existing equipment, materials and formulas.

“We are thrilled that CDS joins the global industry leaders who are collaborating with us to deliver turn-key solutions to manufacturers that deliver both added value and cost savings while reducing their carbon footprint,” says Solidia President and CEO Tom Schuler. “Our primary R&D focus is to make it easy and profitable for manufacturers to adopt our technology. Modifying new or existing chambers will minimize capital investment for our customers.”

CDS joins The Linde Group, a leader in the industrial gas market, who has extended its CO2 supply and delivery expertise to technology development and commercialization. Combined with Lafarge, a leader in cement production and concrete application development, Solidia has assembled an influential and well-respected partnership to launch its new technology worldwide.

Government R&D funding and testing reinforces Solidia’s technology and product development. The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration supports Solidia with a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) to examine transportation infrastructure applications at the Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center, and the U.S. Department of Energy's National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) has co-funded a four-year research and development project as part of its CO2 Storage Program.

Long-term research continues at Rutgers University, where the original generation of the technology was developed, and collaborative research efforts are underway in laboratories at Purdue University, Ohio University, and the University of South Florida. The strength and durability of Solidia Concrete has been verified according to ASTM and AASHTO specification by the CTLGroup, formerly the R&D laboratory of the Portland Cement Association.