Neocrete is a Kiwi-owned, deep-tech start-up focused on making carbon-negative concrete by 2030. Founded in 2018, Neocrete’s natural additive for concrete is already reducing the carbon in concrete across New Zealand by 20%-40%, including in the award-winning Bader Ventura development. Neocrete is the future of concrete.
Our civilisation is built on concrete. It is the most used product in the world after water. The manufacture of cement – the key ingredient in concrete – is responsible for 8% of human greenhouse emissions. Neocrete is a new type of concrete which absorbs carbon from the atmosphere, lasts longer, is fully recyclable, and does not use scarce resources, like fresh water or virgin sand and aggregates. Our mission is for Neocrete to halve global carbon emissions from concrete by 2036.
What is Neocrete and how does it work?
Neocrete is concrete made with 0.3% Neocrete D5 Green – a nano-material based on natural volcanic pozzolans. We process these pozzolans in an innovative way to make them hyper-reactive with other cementitious materials. This makes concrete significantly stronger and more durable, allowing a reduction in cement and thereby carbon. After four years of R&D, Neocrete D5 Green can now reduce carbon in concrete by up to 40% (when used with other cement replacements) and by 20% when used alone. Today if all concrete was Neocrete it would reduce total global carbon emissions by 2%, adding on average 5% cost. D5 Green also makes concrete waterproof (BRANZ certified), stronger (WSP tests), enables major cement reductions (Callaghan Innovation tests) and stimulates concrete to self-heal minor cracks.
Neocrete case studies
Neocrete has been used to reduce carbon in precast panels for Kainga Ora and Auckland's City Rail Link, in the Mahara Gallery redevelopment, floor slabs for eHaus and Scots College and in wastewater treatment systems for Duracrete. So far Neocrete has reduced cement consumption in Aotearoa | New Zealand by approximately 60 tonnes, cutting 45 tonnes of carbon emissions. In recognition of this work, Neocrete is a finalist in the upcoming Sustainable Business Network Climate Leader award. But this is just the beginning of our journey. Neocrete is already specified in some of New Zealand’s key projects, like the National Repository, where it will reduce embodied carbon emissions by 1,000 tonnes.
How was Neocrete developed?
Neocrete’s innovation is based on work by one of Neocrete’s founder’s father - Dr Oleg Bazoev - to make concrete stronger, more durable and waterproof. Dr Bazoev has spent his life improving concrete and won multiple international innovation awards. Since 2018 Neocrete’s R&D programme has been building on Dr Bazoev’s work, with his help, to develop the new generation concrete – low-carbon Neocrete.
What’s next for Neocrete?
Neocrete is currently in capital-raising mode, planning to secure $750k this side of Christmas and $8m in June 2023. These investments are required to secure global IP, build New Zealand production plant and scale and set up state of the art Concrete Innovation Hub – R&D facilities to accelerate Neocrete’s R&D in our race to achieve carbon-negative concrete and reduce the global man-made emissions by 8%.
Contact:
Matt Kennedy-Good
Co-founder and Head of Growth, Neocrete
E: Matt@Neocrete.co.nz
www.neocrete.co.nz