Patio Drummond and CarbriCrete announce that the world’s first cement-free, carbon-negative concrete building block is available for purchase
The CEOs of CarbiCrete and Patio Drummond believe this is an important day for the decarbonization of production of the world’s most widely consumed artificial substance.
Montreal, September 27, 2023 – CarbiCrete and hardscape manufacturer Patio Drummond announced today that in a global first, consumers can now buy fully-cement free, carbon-negative concrete blocks. The blocks, which are being manufactured at a plant in Drummondville, Quebec can be purchased directly from Patio Drummond.
The announcement was made jointly by CarbiCrete CEO Chris Stern, and Philippe Girardin, co-owner of Patio Drummond, at Quebec’s SPEC MIX BRICKLAYER 500 regional qualifier, a qualifying event for the world’s largest masonry challenge held annually in Las Vegas during the World of Concrete Expo.
CarbiCrete’s carbon-negative process for the production of concrete masonry units (CMUs) replaces cement with steel slag, a steel-making by-product, and cures them with carbon dioxide, avoiding the GHG emissions associated with cement production, while permanently sequestering CO2 within the resulting concrete products. For every tonne of concrete produced using this process, 150 kg of CO2 are abated/removed.
“This is a wonderful day for consumers who are looking for low carbon concrete solutions,” says Stern. “We have been working with Patio Drummond since 2018 when we launched our pilot, and so finally bringing our carbon-negative technology to market is a very exciting step in the evolution of that partnership.”
“I look forward to our continued collaboration as we increase production with the aim of making an even greater contribution to decarbonizing production of the world’s most consumed man-made substance.”
Funding for the pilot and its scale-up to full commercialization was provided in large part by Transition Énergétique Québec’s (TEQ) Technoclimat program, Sustainable Development Technology Canada (SDTC), and NGen – Canada’s Advanced Manufacturing Supercluster.
“For over a year, we have been manufacturing tens of thousands of blocks,” says Girardin. “Our tests have proved conclusive, and we are now proud to announce that our CarbiCrete carbon-negative concrete blocks are available on the market.”
“This breakthrough heralds a promising future for Patio Drummond and the concrete industry. We are convinced that CarbiCrete technology combined with our expertise will position us as a leader in the manufacturing of sustainable concrete products that exceed all industry requirements and specifications.”
In May, CarbiCrete signed a cooperation agreement with POINT.P, the main brand of Saint-Gobain Distribution Bâtiment France. The agreement lays the foundation for the production and certification of concrete blocks, made with CarbiCrete technology, at a POINT.P pilot site in France.
In addition to creating construction products that will reduce embodied carbon in the built environment, Stern says that the implementation of CarbiCrete’s fully carbon-negative technology will generate valuable carbon credits that will be available to companies looking to offset emissions and meet their carbon reduction targets.
About CarbiCrete
CarbiCrete is a Montreal-based carbon removal technology company whose patented technology enables the production of cement-free, carbon-negative concrete made with industrial by-products and captured carbon dioxide. For every ton of concrete produced using the CarbiCrete process, 150 kg of CO2 are abated/removed. CarbiCrete.com