A startup discovered that a common source of waste that was once thought to be unusable could be one of the keys to a safer and healthier environmental future.
As detailed by TechCrunch, PHNX Materials devised a way to replace cement in concrete with fly ash from coal plants, which "can eliminate a significant chunk of the material's carbon footprint." Krish Mehta, co-founder and CEO of PHNX Materials, told TechCrunch that fly ash "can be used to replace up to 30% of cement."
Fly ash typically consists of impurities such as carbon and sulfur that concrete companies would rather avoid. However, PHNX Materials developed a method to remove those compounds and ensure that fly ash is prepped for utilization by concrete companies. The method also creates a new source of sulfur and aluminum, the latter of which is also found in fly ash.
Perhaps even more importantly, the implementation of fly ash can help achieve the much-needed goal of decarbonizing concrete. The Environmental Protection Agency determined that a single ton of cement produced in the United States releases roughly 0.8 tons of carbon dioxide, as it is released from the chemical reaction that forms the material, as well as the fossil fuels used as the heat source for the reaction.
"We felt that unlocking a new supply of ash was the most scalable and quickest way to decarbonize the sector," Mehta told TechCrunch.
Unfortunately, the amount of ash available to coal companies isn't abundant due to the ongoing closures of coal-fired power plants. While this is a necessary step toward a cleaner future, companies have resorted to digging up and selling substandard fly ash to concrete makers without properly processing it.
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The resulting shortage in quality fly ash caused prices to spike, and Mehta told TechCrunch that companies have scaled back the amount of fly ash in concrete mixtures to just 8% when they could be using up to 30%.
PHNX is committed to extracting fly ash in a sustainable manner, taking it directly from landfills and removing the sulfur and aluminum along with any other rare earth elements that are uncovered. The company sells the ash to concrete makers and the other materials to relevant industries.
PHNX is hoping to provide the concrete industry with a low-carbon option, which will help slow the ongoing heating of the planet and reduce the effects of climate change.
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