US Department of Energy invests in the Rutgers spin-out with links to Ohio, Purdue and South Florida universities.
Solidia Technologies has secured funding of $752,000 from the US Department of Energy’s National Energy Technology Laboratory to continue development of its novel cement. A spin-out of Rutgers University, Solidia has also worked extensively with several other universities to date including, Ohio, Purdue and South Florida universities.
The fresh funding comes via the laboratory’s Carbon Storage Technology Programme. Solidia is working on an alternative to the commonly used Portland cement which would significantly reduce carbon-dioxide emissions and require less energy. It works by absorbing the carbon-dioxide to harden, reducing the amount of water required by 80%.
Solidia’s next step towards commercialisation of its technology will be testing the process on prototype scale at a commercial plant.
The company was spun-out of Rutgers in May 2014 when the university licensed it two patents related to the reduced water usage. In October 2014, Purdue University ran a study on the material and found the company’s claims about the material’s performance to be correct. It has collaborative research agreements with Ohio and South Florida universities.
Nicholas DeCristofaro, chief technology officer at Solidia, said: “Department of Energy’s National Energy Technology Laboratory continues to be an outstanding partner in the development and commercialisation of Solidia Concrete. Their timely support has been instrumental in moving this sustainable manufacturing technology from the benchtop to the factory floor.”
