LaFarge Brings Portland Limestone Cement to Cut Carbon in Canada

In response to ever-increasing market demand for sustainable building solutions, Lafarge has recently introduced a new portland-limestone cement (PLC) commercial offering in Canada. Widely used in Europe for over 25 years, PLC is a new category of cement that provides performance similar to conventional portland cement with up to 10% less CO₂ emissions.

Approved for use by the Canadian Standards Association, the National Building Code of Canada, and the British Columbia, Ontario, and Quebec Building Codes, PLC is produced by intergrinding portland cement clinker with between 6% and 15% limestone. Based on a number of trials, considerable testing, and Lafarge's innovative approach to PLC, the new GUL cement with up to 15% limestone, which is well below the 35% limit in Europe, will achieve comparable performance to regular portland cement in terms of concrete workability, set time, durability and all ages of concrete strength development.

Because of these performance similarities and the significant sustainability advantages, Lafarge will start the transition from regular portland cement to PLC this year. Customers in British Columbia, Ontario, and Quebec are currently being supplied PLC from Lafarge's plants in Richmond, British Columbia, and Bath, Ontario. Product introduction to other provinces will occur as additional testing and updates to local building codes are completed, which is expected to occur by the end of 2012.

With the potential to bring about a 10% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, the production of PLC at Lafarge's Richmond and Bath Cement Plants alone is expected to reduce CO₂ emissions by 160,000 tonnes annually, which is equivalent to taking mroe than 30,000 cars off the road. In addition, concrete containing combinations of PLC and varying levels of supplementary cementing materials (up to 50%) will permit further reductions in the carbon footprint.

"Providing customers with innovative solutions to reduce energy needs and carbon dioxide emissions is one of our top priorities," said Anik Delagrave, director of innovation for Lafarge Cement. "As an industry leader, one of our goals is to help reduce the carbon footprint of the building sector, and the introduction of PLC in Canada marks yet another milestone in our ongoing commitment to protect the environment."

For additional information on Lafarge's new PLC commercial offering in Canada, visit the company's website or contact Daniel Héroux (Ontario and Quebec) at [email protected] or Matt Dalkie (British Columbia) at [email protected]. Customers are invited to contact a Lafarge cement professional if they have any questions about the use of Lafarge cement products.