Sustainable building materials for a sustainable built environment
Areas of interest:
- Low CO2 binders, replacing traditional cements
- Fossil-free raw materials for adhesives
- Carbon-negative materials
- Cross-laminated timber (CLT)
Low CO2 binders replacing traditional cement
Cement production accounts for 8% of global emissions, most of which comes from the process of creating cement clinker, an intermediate material in the production of Portland cement. Additionally, in ternary binder systems, the use of calcium aluminate cement is also a significant contributor to emissions.
To lower the emissions related to construction, the SUPER project aims to produce new binders, in which Portland cement and calcium aluminate cement are replaced by supplementary cementitious materials, such as ground granulated blast furnace slag, a byproduct of steel manufacturing.
Fossil-free raw materials for adhesives
Most contemporary adhesives based on traditional raw materials are based on fossil-based polymers obtained from petrochemical processes. Adhesives are used in practically all areas of life, from the buildings we live in to the products we use and consume on a daily basis.
This is an area where we at Kiilto would like to improve our processes, to not just make our processes more sustainable, but to provide alternatives for our partners to use sustainable binders in their products as well, without having to compromise on strength or reliability.
Functionalised lignin
As a byproduct of cellulose extraction processes in the paper industry, lignin is the most abundant bio-polymer available to us. Currently, most of it is burnt to obtain energy for the delignification process which creates it, as its non-uniform monomers make it difficult to work with in controlled chemical environments.
Building on research from the past 30 years, this SUPER project aims to create a lignin-based raw material to be used in polymer-based chemical solutions, thus replacing much of the fossil-based material involved in creating adhesives.
Lignin as a binder material in dispersions
While the “Functionalised lignin” project focuses on altering lignin so that it can serve as a raw material for existing adhesive production methods and formulas, the “Lignin as a binder material in dispersions” project approaches the problem from the other end.
This means altering existing formulas and processes by introducing compounds and additional materials that make it possible for lignin to be used as it is received from the raw material manufacturers.
Contact
Tomi Nissinen, Lead Research Scientist
tomi.nissinen@kiilto.com
+358 40 670 1887
– “Placing sustainability at the heart of new material development”
