Development grant
Futurecem, headed by the Research and Development Centre (RDC) of Aalborg Portland Group, has been awarded DKK 10 million (€1.3 million) by Denmark’s High Technology Foundation (Højteknologifonden) to develop new types of cement using nanotechnology.
iNano at Aalborg University, the University of Aarhus, and the Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland are involved in the three-year project, which has a total budget of DKK 20 million.
Jesper Sand Dantoft, director of RDC of Aalborg Portland said, “As a private sector company we would not be able to carry out this task alone. So it’s a great privilege to have the opportunity to collaborate with university research scientists who have competencies which are highly relevant to our area.”
The aim of Futurecem is to exploit nanotechnology to develop new types of cement and extenders to concrete. “It is not commonly known that the properties of cement and concrete are controlled by nanoscale phenomena,” says Dantoft.
The new products, made from raw materials which are common in Denmark, will have improved properties, enabling production of high quality concrete in a more efficient and environmentally friendly way. In particular carbon dioxide emissions in production are expected to be cut by at least 30 per cent.
The High Technology Fund was set up by the government in December in March 2005 to support industry academic collaborations. It funded 12 projects from 158 proposals in the first year and announced 13 grants worth DKK 114 million in September 2006.
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