CADCR staff writer
Clean technology innovator CarbonCure Technologies Inc. has signed a licensing agreement with Northfield Block, a division of Oldcastle Inc., the largest producer of concrete masonry and precast products in North America, the company said in a news release. Since 1949, Northfield has been a leading manufacturer of masonry products in the Midwest, and was acquired by Oldcastle, Inc. in 2003.
Oldcastle, Inc. is the North American arm of CRH plc, one of the world’s leading building products and materials companies based in Dublin, Ireland. Oldcastle, Inc. has 35,000 employees across four product groups – CarbonCure has signed the deal with Northfield Block, part of the Oldcastle Architectural Products Group – the leading North American manufacturer of concrete masonry, precast, lawn, garden and paving products and a regional leader in clay brick. Oldcastle Architectural Products Group has more than 206 operating locations across 38 states and six Canadian provinces, and has more than 7,000 employees.
CarbonCure will install its retrofit carbon sequestering technology this month in Northfield Block’s concrete products plant in Morris, Illinois, which is 40 miles west of Chicago. By mid-summer, the plant’s three machines will be manufacturing architectural concrete products that contain sequestered CO2 using CarbonCure’s proprietary technology. Northfield supplies product directly to commercial masonry and residential projects, and through retail outlets including Home Depot and Lowe’s.
The CarbonCure technology is compatible with Oldcastle’s impressive lineup of standard and green building products. “We are excited about our partnership with CarbonCure and the advanced technologies they bring for greener products in our industry,” says Oldcastle’s Regional President Craig Belasco, who has been president at Northfield for 41 years. CarbonCure’s CEO, Robert Niven, shares Belasco’s enthusiasm. “We’re thrilled to announce this agreement – Northfield Block’s mandate of continuously innovating to strengthen their dominant market position aligns perfectly with CarbonCure’s”, says Niven.
CarbonCure’s retrofit technology chemically converts waste CO2 into limestone to make stronger, greener concrete products. The technology is currently available for concrete blocks, pavers and segmental retaining walls, and the Company has plans to expand to the precast and ready mix markets. The Company is currently partnering with the world’s largest industrial gas supplier, Air Liquide, and leading concrete products manufacturers across North America.
About CarbonCure Technologies Inc.
CarbonCure Technologies is a clean technology developer deploying CO2 sequestration solutions to concrete products manufacturers. The Company offers a complete package to customers which includes their proprietary retrofit technology to repurpose waste CO2 to make concrete less carbon-intensive, along with market pull efforts to create specifications with leading architecture and design firms, and reporting tools such as Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs). The Halifax, Nova Scotia-based Company is commercializing its technology with market leaders in California (Basalite Concrete Products), Ontario (Atlas Block), Nova Scotia (Shaw Brick), and Illinois (Northfield Block).