Rockpore

Concrete is the most used building material in Iceland and has a considerable carbon footprint. Concrete is a mixture of cement, water, aggregates, and admixtures, and while the cement accounts for the largest portion of concrete's carbon emissions, the aggregates are also a major environmental factor. Rockpore has designed a solution that utilises inorganic waste streams to create a new, lightweight cyclic aggregate in concrete (CLWA). Old concrete, glass waste and other industrial waste are used as raw materials in CLWA, which reduces the material's carbon footprint. At the end of the life of the concrete, it can be used again in CLWA without its properties deteriorating with each recycling.

Better quality and more circularity

The aggregates are spherical and rounded, which is a highly desirable aggregate property and provides better workability in concrete compared to conventional recycled concrete aggregates (RCA), which often cause problems (such as, for instance, stiffness). Concrete with CLWA can also be used, after its end of life, as a raw material for new CLWA with the same properties as before, resulting in a 100% circular material. Also, CLWA's strength relative to density is significantly better compared to other lightweight fillers. 

Mutual benefit important

One of Rockpore's main challenges in scaling the solution on the Icelandic market has been synchronizing all the links the value chain, including waste producers and customers. The key here is to create a mutual benefit ("win-win") for all participants in the chain. Rockpore is in contact with both of the main concrete producers in Iceland, and is developing with them a way to change their operations to zero-waste production. The development has attracted a lot of attention in Iceland as well as abroad, where interest in sustainable solutions in the construction industry is growing rapidly and progressive concrete manufacturers are constantly looking for new ways to improve their product quality and environmental footprint. 

Carbon footprint and environmental benefits

LCA analysis (A1-A3) indicates that the carbon footprint of Rockpore aggregates is approximately 9 kg CO₂/t, including domestic transport of raw materials, the production process, and the import of additives from Norway. This means it has a smaller carbon footprint than pumice from Hekla (28 kg CO₂/t) and significantly less than other man-made lightweight fillers such as LECA (315 kg CO₂/t). Since Rockpore fillers are fully recyclable, they have the potential to additionally save approximately 21 kg CO₂/t compared to the carbon emissions of traditional landfill disposal (EPA criteria). When these benefits are taken into account, the CLWA is carbon positive.

New production unit in Helguvík

Rockpore received a grant from Askur, the infrastructure research and innovation fund, in order to develop the project. The next steps in the development of CLWA include the construction of a production unit in Helguvík, within the Green Industrial Park. The development of this unit received funding from the Technology Development Fund, through Vaxtarverkefni. The opening of the unit is planned by 2027.