Practical Use of Tec and Eco-Cements

1. Practical Use of Tec and Eco-Cements Presentation by John Harrison, managing director of TecEco and inventor of tec and eco-cements and the CarbonSafe process. TecEco are in the biggest business on the planet – that of solving global warming and waste problems Our slides are deliberately verbose as most people download and view them from the net. Because of time constraints I will have to race over some slides John Harrison B.Sc. B.Ec. FCPA.

2. The Carbon Cycle and Emissions Emissions from fossil fuels and cement production are the cause of the global warming problem Units: GtC GtC/yr Source: David Schimel and Lisa Dilling, National Centre for Atmospheric Research 2003

3. Techno-Processes & Earth Systems Underlying the techno-process that describes and controls the flow of matter and energy are molecular stocks and flows. If out of tune with nature these moleconomic flows have detrimental affects on earth systems. Bio-sphere Geo-sphere Earth Systems Atmospheric composition, climate, land cover, marine ecosystems, pollution, coastal zones, freshwater and salinity. Detrimental affects on earth systems Waste Take Move 500-600 billion tonnesUse some 50 billion tonnes Manipulate, Make and Use Techno-sphere To reduce the impact on earth systems new technical paradigms need to be invented that result in underlying molecular flows that mimic or at least do not interfere with natural flows.

4. Techno-Processes Affect Underlying Molecular Flows Take → Manipulate → Make→ Use → Waste [ ←Materials→ ] [ ← Underlying molecular flow → ] If the underlying molecular flows are “out of tune” with nature there is damage to the environmente.g. heavy metals, cfc’s, c=halogen compounds and CO2 MoleconomicsIs the study of the form of atoms in molecules, their flow, interactions, balances, stocks and positions. What we take from the environment around us, how we manipulate and make materials out of what we take and what we waste result in underlying molecular flows that affect earth systems. These flows should mimic or minimally interfere with natural flows.

5. Changing Techno-Processes Take => manipulate => make => use => wasteDriven by fossil fuel energy with detrimental effects on earth systems. ReduceRe-useRecycle Eco-innovate Do so based on physical properties such as weight and strength If you can’t recycle based on chemical property Materials

6. Economically Driven Change New, more profitable technical paradigms used in the techno-processthat result in more sustainable and usually more efficient moleconomic flows that mimic or at least do not disrupt natural flows are required. $ - ECONOMICS - $

7. Changing the Technical Paradigm • “By enabling us to make productive use of particular raw materials, technology determines what constitutes a physical resource1” • Pilzer, Paul Zane, Unlimited Wealth, The Theory and Practice of Economic Alchemy, Crown Publishers Inc. New York.1990 By inventing new technical paradigms and re-engineering materials we can change the underlying molecular flows that are damaging this planet. It is not hard to do this and it could even be economic. All it takes is imagination. Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world. Albert Einstein We can make materials that have underlying molecular flows that mimic or at least to not disrupt natural flows, that require less energy to make, last much longer and contribute properties that reduce lifetime energies.

8. Examples of Economic Changes in Technical Paradigms that result in Greater Sustainability Incandescent Fluorescent Led Light <20 watts1700 lumens 25 watts1700 lumens 100 watts1700 lumens Light Globes - A Recent Paradigm Shift in Technology Reducing Energy Consumption Light Globes in the last 10 years have evolved from consuming around 100 watts per 1700 lumens to less that 20 watts per 1700 lumens. As light globes account for around 30% of household energy this is as considerable saving. Robotics - A Paradigm Shift in Technology that will fundamentally affect Building and Construction Construction in the future will be largely done by robots because it will be more economic to do so. Like a color printer different materials will be required for different parts of structures, and wastes such as plastics will provide many of the properties required for the cementitious composites of the future used. A non-reactive binder such as TecEco tec-cements can supply the right rheology, and like a printer, very little will be wasted.

9. Sustainability Driven by Economics • Our goal should be: • To develop technical paradigms that more economically deliver reduced moleconomic impacts and thus greater sustainability. • To do this we need to: • Through education to induce cultural change to increase the demand for sustainability. • Innovate to change the technical paradigms • Improvements in technical paradigms will bring about changes in demand affecting resource usage and thus underlying moleconomic flows reducing detrimental linkages with the planet. • TecEco tec, eco and enviro cements are innovative sustainability enabling technologies.

10. Sustainability = Culture + Technology Increase in demand/price ratio for sustainability due to educationally induced cultural drift. $ Supply Greater Value/for impact (Sustainability) and economic growth Equilibrium shift ECONOMICS New Technical Paradigms are required that deliver sustainability. Demand Increase in supply/price ratio for more sustainable products due to innovative paradigm shifts in technology. # Sustainability could be considered as where culture and technology meet.

11. The TecEco CarbonSafe Geo-Photosynthethic Process CO2 CO2 CO2 CO2 The CarbonSafe Geo-Photosynthetic Process is TecEco’s evolving techno-process that delivers profitable outcomes whilst reversing underlying undesirable moleconomic flows from other less sustainable processes. Inputs: Atmospheric or smokestack CO2, brines,waste acid, other wastes Outputs: Potable water, gypsum, sodium bicarbonate, salts, building materials, bottled concentrated CO2 (for geo-sequestration and other uses). Solar or solar derived energy TecEcoKiln TecEco MgCO2 Cycle MgO MgCO3 Greensols Process 1.29 gm/l Mg Coal Fossil fuels Carbon or carbon compoundsMagnesium oxide CO2 Oil

12. TecEco CarbonSafe Vectors InputsBrinesWaste AcidCO2 Outputs Gypsum, Sodium bicarbonate, Salts, Building materials, Potable water

13. The CarbonSafe Geo-Photosynthetic Process 1.354 x 109 km3 Seawater containing 1.728 1017 tonne Mg or suitable brines from other sources Seawater Carbonation Process Waste Acid Gypsum + carbon waste (e.g. sewerage) = fertilizers Bicarbonate of Soda (NaHCO3) CO2 from power generation or industry Other salts Na+,K+, Ca2+,Cl- Gypsum (CaSO4) Sewerage compost CO2 as a biological or industrial input or if no other use geological sequestration Magnesite (MgCO3) Solar Process to Produce Magnesium Metal Magnesium Thermodynamic Cycle Simplified TecEco ReactionsTec-Kiln MgCO3 → MgO + CO2 - 118 kJ/moleReactor Process MgO + CO2 → MgCO3 + 118 kJ/mole (usually more complex hydrates) CO2 from power generation, industry or out of the air Magnesite (MgCO3) Magnesia (MgO) Hydroxide ReactorProcess Sequestration Table – Mg from Seawater CO2 Eco-CementTec-Cement Other Wastes

14. The MgCO2 Process (Magnesium Thermodynamic Cycle) The magnesium thermodynamiccycle is very important for sequestration and is used for the formation of valuable building product

15. The TecEco Dream – A More Sustainable Built Environment CO2 CO2 OTHERWASTES CO2 FOR GEOLOGICAL SEQUESTRATION PERMANENT SEQUESTRATION & WASTE UTILISATION (Man made carbonate rock incorporating wastes as a building material) MINING MgO TECECO KILN MAGNESITE + OTHER INPUTS TECECO CONCRETES RECYCLED BUILDING MATERIALS We need materials that require less energy to make them, that last much longer and that contribute properties that reduce lifetime energies “There is a way to make our city streets as green as the Amazon rainforest”. Fred Pearce, New Scientist Magazine SUSTAINABLE CITIES

16. TecEco CO2 Capture Kiln Technology • Can run at low temperatures. • Can be powered by various non fossil fuels. • Runs 25% to 30% more efficiently. • Theoretically capable of producing much more reactive MgO • Even with ores of high Fe content. • Captures CO2 for bottling and sale to the oil industry (geological sequestration). • Grinds and calcines at the same time. • Part of a major process to solve global CO2 problems. • Will result in new markets for ultra reactive low lattice energy MgO (e.g. cement, paper and environment industries)

17. Why Magnesium Carbonates for Sequestration? • Because of the low molecular weight of magnesium, magnesium oxide which hydrates to magnesium hydroxide and then carbonates, is ideal for scrubbing CO2 out of the air and sequestering the gas into the built environment: • More CO2 is captured than in calcium systems as the calculations below show. • An area 10km by 10m by 150m deep of magnesium carbonate will sequester all the excess CO2 we release to the atmosphere in a year. • At 2.09% of the crust magnesium is the 8th most abundant element • Magnesium minerals are potential low cost. New kiln technology from TecEco will enable easy low cost simple non fossil fuel calcination of magnesium carbonate with CO2 capture for geological sequestration.

18. Reduction Global CO2 from CarbonSafe Process

19. Mimicking Natural Processes - Biomimicry Since we now dominate this planet we need to evolve technical paradigms that result in techno-processes that mimic nature. • The term biomimicry was popularised by the book of the same name written by Janine Benyus • Biomimicry is a method of solving problems that uses natural processes and systems as a source of knowledge and inspiration. • It involves nature as model, measure and mentor. The theory behind biomimicry is that natural processes and systems have evolved over several billion years through a process of research and development commonly referred to as evolution. A reoccurring theme in natural systems is the cyclical flow of matter in such a way that there is no waste of matter or energy.

20. Utilizing Carbon and Wastes (Biomimicry) • During earth's geological history large tonnages of carbon were put away as limestone and other carbonates and as coal and petroleum by the activity of plants and animals. • Sequestering carbon in magnesium binders and aggregates in the built environment mimics nature in that carbon is used in the homes or skeletal structures of most plants and animals. In eco-cement blocks and mortars the binder is carbonate and the aggregates are preferably wastes We all use carbon and wastes to make our homes! “Biomimicry”

21. A Post – Carbon & Waste Age? New techno-process are required that mimic nature and do not change global system flows

22. Materials in the Built Environment • The built environment is made of materials and is our footprint on earth. • It comprises buildings and infrastructure. • Building materials comprise • 70% of materials flows (buildings, infrastructure etc.) • 40-50% of waste that goes to landfill (15 % of new materials going to site are wasted.) • At 1.5% of world GDP Annual Australian production of building materials likely to be in the order 300 million tonnes or over 15 tonnes per person. • Over 20 billion tonnes of building materials are used annually on a world wide basis. • Mostly using virgin natural resources • Combined in such a manner they cannot easily be separated. • Include many toxic elements.

23. Huge Potential for More Sustainable Construction Materials C C Waste C C Waste C • Reducing the impact of the take and waste phases of the techno-process. • including carbon in materialsthey are potentially carbon sinks. • including wastes forphysical properties aswell as chemical compositionthey become resources. • re – engineeringmaterials toreduce the lifetimeenergy of buildings Many wastes can contribute to physical properties reducing lifetime energies

24. Impact of the Largest Material Flow - Cement and Concrete • Concrete made with cement is the most widely used material on Earth accounting for some 30% of all materials flows on the planet and 70% of all materials flows in the built environment. • Global Portland cement production is currently in the order of 2 billion tonnes per annum. • Globally over 14 billion tonnes of concrete are poured per year. • Over 2 tonnes per person per annum • Much more concrete is used than any other building material. TecEco Pty. Ltd. have benchmark technologies for improvement in sustainability and properties

25. Embodied Energy of Building Materials Concrete is relatively environmentally friendly and has a relatively low embodied energy Downloaded from www.dbce.csiro.au/ind-serv/brochures/embodied/embodied.htm (last accessed 07 March 2000)

26. Average Embodied Energy in Buildings Most of the embodied energy in the built environment is in concrete. Because so much concrete is used there is a huge opportunity for sustainability by reducing the embodied energy, reducing the carbon debt (net emissions) and improving properties that reduce lifetime energies. Downloaded from www.dbce.csiro.au/ind-serv/brochures/embodied/embodied.htm (last accessed 07 March 2000)

27. Emissions from Cement Production • Chemical Release • The process of calcination involves driving off chemically bound CO2 with heat. CaCO3 →CaO + ↑CO2 • Process Energy • Most energy is derived from fossil fuels. • Fuel oil, coal and natural gas are directly or indirectly burned to produce the energy required releasing CO2. • The production of cement for concretes accounts for around 10% of global anthropogenic CO2. • Pearce, F., "The Concrete Jungle Overheats", New Scientist, 19 July, No 2097, 1997 (page 14). CO2 CO2 Arguments that we should reduce cement production relative to other building materials are nonsense because concrete is the most sustainable building material there is. The challenge is to make it more sustainable.

28. Cement Production ~= Carbon Dioxide Emissions Between tec, eco and enviro-cements TecEco can provide a viable much more sustainable alternative.

29. TecEco Technologies Take Concrete into the Future • More rapid strength gain even with added pozzolans • More supplementary materials can be used reducing costs and take and waste impacts. • Higher strength/binder ratio • Less cement can be used reducing costs and take and waste impacts • More durable concretes • Reducing costs and take and waste impacts. • Use of wastes • Utilizing carbon dioxide • Magnesia component can be made using non fossil fuel energy and CO2 captured during production. Tec -Cements Tec & Eco-Cements Eco-Cements

30. TecEco Binder Systems SUSTAINABILITY PORTLAND POZZOLAN Hydration of the various components of Portland cement for strength. Reaction of alkali with pozzolans (e.g. lime with fly ash.) for sustainability, durability and strength. TECECO CEMENTS DURABILITY STRENGTH TecEco concretes are a system of blending reactive magnesia, Portland cement and usually a pozzolan with other materials and are a key factor for sustainability. REACTIVE MAGNESIA Hydration of magnesia => brucite for strength, workability, dimensional stability and durability. In Eco-cements carbonation of brucite => nesquehonite, lansfordite and an amorphous phase for sustainability.

31. TecEco Formulations • Tec-cements (5-15% MgO, 85-95% OPC) • contain more Portland cement than reactive magnesia. Reactive magnesia hydrates in the same rate order as Portland cement forming Brucite which uses up water reducing the voids:paste ratio, increasing density and possibly raising the short term pH. • Reactions with pozzolans are more affective. After all the Portlandite has been consumed Brucite controls the long term pH which is lower and due to it’s low solubility, mobility and reactivity results in greater durability. • Other benefits include improvements in density, strength and rheology, reduced permeability and shrinkage and the use of a wider range of aggregates many of which are potentially wastes without reaction problems. • Eco-cements (15-95% MgO, 85-5% OPC) • contain more reactive magnesia than in tec-cements. Brucite in porous materials carbonates forming stronger fibrous mineral carbonates and therefore presenting huge opportunities for waste utilisation and sequestration. • Enviro-cements (5-15% MgO, 85-95% OPC) • contain similar ratios of MgO and OPC to eco-cements but in non porous concretes brucite does not carbonate readily. • Higher proportions of magnesia are most suited to toxic and hazardous waste immobilisation and when durability is required. Strength is not developed quickly nor to the same extent.

32. Tec & Eco-Cement Theory • Many Engineering Issues are Actually Mineralogical Issues • Problems with Portland cement concretes are usually resolved by the “band aid” engineering fixes. e.g. • Use of calcium nitrite, silanes, cathodic protection or stainless steel to prevent corrosion. • Use of coatings to prevent carbonation. • Crack control joins to mitigate the affects of shrinkage cracking. • Plasticisers to improve workability. • Portlandite and water are the weakness of concrete • TecEco remove Portlandite it and replacing it with magnesia which hydrates to Brucite. • The hydration of magnesia consumes significant water

33. Tec & Eco-Cement Theory • Portlandite (Ca(OH)2) is too soluble, mobile and reactive. • It carbonates, reacts with Cl- and SO4- and being soluble can act as an electrolyte. • TecEco generally (but not always) remove Portlandite using the pozzolanic reaction and • TecEco add reactive magnesia • which hydrates, consuming significant water and concentrating alkalis forming Brucite which is another alkali, but much less soluble, mobile or reactive than Portlandite. • In Eco-Cements brucite carbonates forming hydrated compounds with greater volume

34. Why Add Reactive Magnesia? • To maintain the long term stability of CSH. • Maintains alkalinity preventing the reduction in Ca/Si ratio. • To remove water. • Reactive magnesia consumes water as it hydrates to possibly hydrated forms of Brucite. • To raise the early Ph. • Increasing non hydraulic strength giving reactions • To reduce shrinkage. • The consequences of putting brucite through the matrix of a concrete in the first place need to be considered. • To make concretes more durable • Because significant quantities of carbonates are produced in porous substrates which are affective binders. Reactive MgO is a new tool to be understood with profound affects on most properties

35. Strength with Blend & Porosity Tec-cement concretes Eco-cement concretes High Porosity Enviro-cement concretes High OPC High Magnesia STRENGTH ON ARBITARY SCALE 1-100

36. Ramifications of TecEco Eco-Cement Technologies C C Waste Waste C C C Eco-cements MgCO3 → MgO + ↓CO2 - Efficient low temperature calcination & capture MgO + ↓CO2 + H2O → MgCO3.3H2O - Sequestration as building material Waste Δ • CO2 is a waste. • Making the built environment a repository for waste and a huge carbon sink as proposed by TecEco is a technically feasible, politically viable and economic alternative. • By capturing carbon during manufacture and including it in concretes they become carbon sinks. • By including wastes manyproblems at the wasteend are solved.

37. TecEco Technology in Practice - Whittlesea, Vic. Australia On 17th March 2005 TecEco poured the first commercial slab in the world using tec-cement concrete with the assistance of one of the larger cement and pre-mix companies. • The formulation strategy was to adjust a standard 20 MPa high fly ash (36%) mix from the company as a basis of comparison. • Strength development, and in particular early strength development was good. Interestingly some 70 days later the slab is still gaining strength at the rate of about 5 MPa a month. • Also noticeable was the fact that the concrete was not as "sticky" as it normally is with a fly ash mix and that it did not bleed quite as much. • Shrinkage was low. 7 days - 133 micro strains, 14 days - 240 micro strains, 28 days - 316 micros strains and at 56 days - 470 microstrains.

38. TecEco Technology in Practice - Whittlesea, Vic. Australia First Eco-cement mud bricks and mortars in Australia • Tested up twice as strong as the PC controls • Mud brick addition rate 2.5% • Addition rate for mortars 1:8 not 1:3 because of molar ratio volume increase with MgO compared to lime.

39. The Use of Eco-Cements for Building Earthship Brighton By Taus Larsen, (Architect, Low Carbon Network Ltd.) The Low Carbon Network (www.lowcarbon.co.uk) was established to raise awareness of the links between buildings, the working and living patterns they create, and global warming and aims to initiate change through the application of innovative ideas and approaches to construction. England’s first Earthship is currently under construction in southern England outside Brighton at Stanmer Park and TecEco technologies have been used for the floors and some walling. Earthships are exemplars of low-carbon design, construction and living and were invented and developed in the USA by Mike Reynolds over 20 years of practical building exploration. They are autonomous earth-sheltered buildings independent from mains electricity, water and waste systems and have little or no utility costs. For information about the Earthship Brighton and other projects please go to the TecEco web site.

40. Repair of Concrete Blocks. Clifton Surf Club The Clifton Surf Life Saving Club was built by first pouring footings, On the footings block walls were erected and then at a later date concrete was laid in between. As the ground underneath the footings was sandy, wet most of the time and full of salts it was a recipe for disaster. Predictably the salty water rose up through the footings and then through the blocks and where the water evaporated there was strong efflorescence, pitting, loss of material and damage. The TecEco solution was to make up a formulation of eco-cement mortar which we doctored with some special chemicals to prevent the rise of any more moisture and salt. The solution worked well and appears to have stopped the problem.

41. Mike Burdon’s Murdunna Works Mike Burdon, Builder and Plumber. I work for a council interested in sutainability and have been involved with TecEco since around 2001 in a private capacity helping with large scale testing of TecEco tec-cements at our shack. I am interested in the potentially superior strength development and sustainability aspects. To date we have poured two slabs, footings, part of a launching ramp and some tilt up panels using formulations and materials supplied by John Harrison of TecEco. I believe that research into the new TecEco cements essential as overall I have found: • The rheological performance even without plasticizer was excellent. As testimony to this the contractors on the site commented on how easy the concrete was to place and finish. • We tested the TecEco formulations with a hired concrete pump and found it extremely easy to pump and place. Once in position it appeared to “gel up” quickly allowing stepping for a foundation to a brick wall. • Strength gain was more rapid than with Portland cement controls from the same premix plant and continued for longer. • The surfaces of the concrete appeared to be particularly hard and I put this down to the fact that much less bleeding was observed than would be expected with a Portland cement only formulation

42. Non Shrink Concrete Tec-Cement concretes exhibit little or no shrinkage. At 10% substitution of MgO for PC the shrinkage is less than half normal. At 18% substitution with no added pozzolan there was no measurable shrinkage or expansion. The above photo shows a tec-cement concrete topping coat (with no flyash) 20mm thick away from the door and 80 mm thick near the door. Note that there has been no tendency to push the tiles or shrink away from the borders as would normally be the case.

43. Block Making with TecEco Cements TecEco tec and eco-cement blocks are now being made commercially in Tasmania and with freight equalization may be viable to ship to Victoria for your “green” project. Hopefully soon we will have a premix mortar available that uses eco-cement.

44. Teco Blocks Made Using Tec and Eco-Cements Teco Blocks from Liquid Frame System Using TecEco Cements. Please direct commercial enquiries to liquidframesystem.com.au/ Channel Plate Block Locator End Cap 4 Rosebank Ave.Clayton South, Victoria, Australia 3169. Ph 03 95470277

45. TecEco Cement Teco Blocks Being Laid

46. Tec & Eco Cement Foamed Concretes Foamed TecEco cement concretes can be produced to about 30% weight reduction in concrete trucks using cellflow additive or to about 70% weight reduction using a foaming machine with mearlcrete additive (or equivalents) BUILD LITE CELLULAR CONCRETE4 Rosebank Ave  Clayton Sth  MELBOURNE  AUSTRALIA 3169PH  61 3 9547 0255    FX  61 3 9547 0266

47. Tec & Eco Cement Foamed Concrete Slabs BUILD LITE CELLULAR CONCRETE4 Rosebank Ave  Clayton Sth  MELBOURNE  AUSTRALIA 3169PH  61 3 9547 0255    FX  61 3 9547 0266

48. Lightweight Tec-Cement Steel Braced Foamed Concrete Panels Imagine a conventional steel frame section with a foamed concrete panel built in adding to structural strength, providing insulation as well as the external cladding of a structure. Rigid Steel Framing have developed just such a panel and have chosen to use TecEco cement technology for the strength, ease of use and finish. Patents applied for by Rigid Steel Framing Please direct commercial enquiries to Rigid Steel Framing at rigidsteel.com.au

49. Lightweight Tec-Cement Steel Braced Foamed Concrete Panels Rear view of test panels showing tongue and groove and void for services.Interior plasterboard is fixed conventionally over gap for services.

50. Eco-Cement Porous Pavement – A Solution for Water Quality? Porous Pavements are a Technology Paradigm Change Worth Investigating Before three were cites forests and grassland covered most of our planet. When it rained much of the water naturally percolated though soils that performed vital functions of slowing down the rate of transport to rivers and streams, purifying the water and replenishing natural aquifers. Our legacy has been to pave this natural bio filter, redirecting the water that fell as rain as quickly as possible to the sea. Given global water shortages, problems with salinity, pollution, volume and rate of flow of runoff we need to change our practices so as to mimic the way it was for so many millions of years before we started making so many changes.