Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/755184
DECEMBER 2016 | 17 Concrete PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY VERSAFLEX INC. by about 20 percent. "The industry is deeply commit- ted to playing its part in reducing greenhouse gases. Recently, Canada's cement companies collaborated on the introduction of a new lower carbon cement to the Canadian market. Branded as Contempra, this lower carbon cement produces 10 percent fewer greenhouse gases compared to regular cement, while producing concrete of equivalent performance. The industry is also working hard on substituting fossil fuels with lower carbon alternatives as well as longer-term car- bon capture and utilization technologies that have the capacity to dramatically reduce greenhouse gases and even transform concrete into a carbon sink." By way of an example, Don Zakariasen, director of marketing, concrete products, Lafarge North America, says that Lafarge is continuing to make progress regarding the Solidia system that uses CO2 in the cur- ing process in an effort to reduce the carbon footprint of precast concrete. There is already much interest in the product, which Zakariasen says is expected to be made available sometime next year. "We are at the point now where testing has shown that it is commercially viable," says Zakariasen. "We have hollowcore slabs cured with CO2 that will perform structurally, and the appearance is excellent." Innovation is occurring in other aspects of concrete construction as well. Polyurea is giving traditional epoxy, silicone and polyurethane materials a run for their money when it comes to filling and sealing con- crete slab control joints. Concrete joints and their filler material endure many stresses during the slab curing period and service life + Performance formulated polyurea joint filler and sealant from VersaFlex Inc. Rebar.indd 1 2016-11-03 1:24 PM F o r m e r l y t h e M e t r o G r o u p o f C o m p a n i e s C a n a d i a n C o n s t r u c t i o n M a t e r i a l s E n g i n e e r i n g a n d T e s t i n g L t d h a s b e e n p r o u d l y s e r v i n g t h e c o n s t r u c t i o n i n d u s t r y s i n c e 1 9 8 7 . M a t e r i a l s E n g i n e e r i n g M a t e r i a l s T e s t i n g G e o t e c h n i c a l E n g i n e e r i n g E n v i r o n m e n t a l E n g i n e e r i n g C o n c r e t e R e s t o r a t i o n T o t a l Q u a l i t y M a n a g e m e n t I N N O V A T I V E . Q U A L I T Y . S O L U T I O N S 1 - 8 4 4 - 7 3 2 - 2 6 3 8 i n f o @ c c m e t . c a W W W . C C M E T . C A