Lavco Group is proudly representing:
CONCRETE SOLUTIONS TO CLIMATE CHANGE
Concrete is the most widely used material in the world and is responsible for 8% of global carbon emissions. It is inherently brittle, and it requires frequent repair or replacement, which are expensive and generate large volumes of CO 2 . Current methods of repair by agents such as mortar and epoxies result in structures with reduced strength and resiliency due to material mismatch, therefore, a self-healing cement paste (concrete’s main matrix) is needed to overcome this problem.
The leading self-healing mechanism is based on the use of bacteria and microbes, which are slow and have limited applications, as well as unknown health effects. Inspired by the extremely efficient process of CO 2 transfer in biological cells, this study introduces a method to develop a self-healing mechanism in a cementitious matrix using trace amounts of the enzyme Carbonic Anhydrase (CA). CA catalyzes the reaction between Ca 2+ ions and atmospheric CO 2 to create calcium carbonate crystals with similar thermomechanical properties as the cementitious matrix.
The crystal growth rate using this method is orders of magnitude faster and more efficient than bacterial methods, resulting in the healing of large flaws on timescale orders of magnitude shorter. This method is capable of self-healing samples with millimeter-scale flaws within 24-hours and is significantly faster than all current methods that need a minimum of 28-days for strength recovery of microscale cracks. This inexpensive method is biologically safe, actively consumes CO 2 , and avoids using unhealthy reagents. It can be an efficient mechanism to repair and strengthen the existing concrete structures.
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Corrosion Inhibitor
Concrete fortified with our Enz. Additive will heal itself utilizing direct air captured Carbon Dioxide while curing which may prevent cracks from forming. The results of multiple Chlorine Penetration Tests predict concrete with our Enz. Corrosion Inhibitor will last at least 4 times longer, capture carbon and will not negatively affect plasticity or cure time. Concrete will last much longer with only a slight increase (approximately 10%) in cost.
1 cubic yard of Enz. Construction Material (ECM) consumes 18 lbs of C02, whereas 1 cubic yard of concrete emits 400lbs of C02! If the U.S. Ready Mix Industry were to implement our formula for ECM, we would together reduce carbon emissions by 75M tonnes per year; the equivalent of removing 15M cars from the road each year. If we rolled out ECM world-wide, with just 10% market penetration we could realize 33% of the U.S.'s climate goals for 2030.