SILKROAD C&T to develop carbon-neutral materials

[Photo provided by SILKROAD C&T Co.]

SILKROAD C&T Co., a specialized company in concrete admixtures, signed an agreement with Lotte Chemical Co., Sika Korea Ltd. and the Korea Concrete Institute, on Monday, on the development of carbon-neutral construction materials.

Under the memorandum of understanding (MoU), SILKROAD, Lotte Chemical, and Sika Korea will form a collaborative research and development (R&D) alliance for carbon-neutral construction materials to develop new technologies while the academic society will provide technical advice and certification support.

SILKROAD C&T plans to invest 10 billion won ($7.5 million) to establish an R&D center at its research facility in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province.

The global trend in the construction industry is currently towards low-carbonization, driven by the implementation of carbon-neutral policies worldwide. This involves replacing cement with alternative materials like fly ash and blast furnace slag.

The key focus of the latest agreement is the development of construction materials optimized for this purpose.

The estimated annual carbon emissions from cement production in South Korea are around 22 million tons, and with the completion of construction material development, a reduction of 9.3 million tons in carbon emissions can be achieved, according to SILKROAD C&T.