| NSF Org: |
TI Translational Impacts |
| Recipient: |
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| Initial Amendment Date: | April 7, 2021 |
| Latest Amendment Date: | May 21, 2021 |
| Award Number: | 2110136 |
| Award Instrument: | Standard Grant |
| Program Manager: |
Ruth Shuman
rshuman@nsf.gov (703)292-2160 TI Translational Impacts TIP Directorate for Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships |
| Start Date: | March 15, 2021 |
| End Date: | August 31, 2022 (Estimated) |
| Total Intended Award Amount: | $50,000.00 |
| Total Awarded Amount to Date: | $50,000.00 |
| Funds Obligated to Date: |
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| History of Investigator: |
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| Recipient Sponsored Research Office: |
4400 VESTAL PKWY E BINGHAMTON NY US 13902 (607)777-6136 |
| Sponsor Congressional District: |
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| Primary Place of Performance: |
4400 Vestal Parkway East Binghamton NY US 13902-6000 |
| Primary Place of
Performance Congressional District: |
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| Unique Entity Identifier (UEI): |
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| Parent UEI: |
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| NSF Program(s): | I-Corps |
| Primary Program Source: |
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| Program Reference Code(s): |
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| Program Element Code(s): |
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| Award Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Fund Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Assistance Listing Number(s): | 47.084 |
ABSTRACT
The broader impact/commercial potential of this I-Corps project is the commercialization of a technology that will allow up to 80% of the waste glass (silicon oxides) in the United States to be reused, diverting 5.6 million tons from the landfill. According to the EPA, 7 million tons of waste glass is sent to the landfill annually. The proposed technology uses a pozzolan, a cement replacement that commonly replaces 20% of the cement used in standard mixes with glass materials (here, silicon dioxide) in the manufacturing industry. Generally for every 1 ton of cement produced, 1 ton of carbon dioxide (CO2), a greenhouse gas, is released. This translates to one house foundation of cement producing the CO2 emissions equivalent of driving a car for 2.5 years. The EPA estimates that the cement industry produces 86.8 million metric tons of CO2 each year, exceeding emissions by the aviation industry. For every 5 tons of the newly developed cement replacement material used, the equivalent of one car is taken off the road in terms of CO2. At full scale, the concrete industry could see a carbon savings equivalent of taking 1.75 million cars off the road every year.
This I-Corps project will explore the commercial potential and commercialization strategies for a new process to take waste glass from the recycling industry and turn it into a pozzolan called Pantheon?. Concrete is normally made from gravel, sand, water, and cement. Water and cement react to form calcium silicate hydrate, which is the glue that holds concrete together. A pozzolan is a cement replacement that commonly replaces 20% of the cement used in standard mixes in the concrete manufacturing industry. Currently, the most common pozzolan on the market is fly ash from coal power plants. Pantheon? offers superior properties and performance. First, Pantheon? has a 13.4% higher concentration of silicon dioxide, the active ingredient in pozzolans. Second Pantheon? has 19% fewer impurities than fly ash. This results in a concrete that is less expensive, more environmentally friendly, and 11% stronger than what is currently on the market.
This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.
PROJECT OUTCOMES REPORT
Disclaimer
This Project Outcomes Report for the General Public is displayed verbatim as submitted by the Principal Investigator (PI) for this award. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this Report are those of the PI and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation; NSF has not approved or endorsed its content.
KLAW Industries is a new type of construction material manufacturer that turns underutilized materials into high-value building components. We take waste glass from recycling facilities that is currently being sent to the landfill and, using our proprietary process, turn this glass into a glass pozzolan for concrete called Pantheon™. A pozzolan is a powder that is used as a cement replacement in concrete, and pozzolans typically replace 20% of cement in concrete. In recent years, the supply of pozzolans has been disappearing, causing the price to increase and the quality to decrease.
The objectives of our project were to:
- Determine our beachhead market in both the concrete and recycling industries.
- Determine the specific technical requirements for pozzolans used by the New York State and Pennsilvian Departments of Transportation (DOT) for infrastructure work.
- Begin pilot projects with potential customers.
The results of our project were.
- After conducting >300 interviews, we determined that our beachhead market in the recycling industry is Directors of Operations at recycling facilities in New York that process less than 3000 tons of waste glass per year. In concrete, our beachhead market is Operations Directors at concrete plants that utilize 2500 tons of pozzolans per year.
- We determined the specific technical requirements required by the New York and Pennsylvania DOT. We then completed testing at Clarkson University to prove our technology based on the information from our customer interviews.
- Our successful customer discovery allowed us to complete pilot projects with potential customers, including residential and commercial concrete work. Additionally, our local municipality has begun feasibility tests on utilizing high-performance, low-carbon concrete in curb and sidewalk work.
The broader impact/commercial potential of this I-Corps project is 80% of the waste glass in the United States will be reused, diverting 5.6 million tons from the landfill. According to the EPA, 7 million tons of waste glass is sent to landfills annually.
According to the EPA, for every 1 ton of cement produced, 1 ton of CO2 is released. This translates to one house foundation producing CO2 emissions equivalent to driving a car for 2.5 years. The EPA estimates that the cement industry produces 86.8 million metric tons of CO2 each year, exceeding emissions by the aviation industry. Due to their increasing costs, concrete manufacturers are switching away from pozzolans, compounding this problem by 20%. However, for every 5 tons of Pantheon™ used, the equivalent of one car is taken off the road in terms of CO2. At full scale, the concrete industry would see carbon savings equivalent to taking 1.75 million cars off the road every year.
Last Modified: 10/30/2022
Modified by: Olga Petrova
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