CalciTech Synthetic Minerals Europe, Geneva Switzerland, his week signed a cooperation agreement with a group of partners, including the Papiertechnische Stiftung (PTS), the German Paper Research Centre, and Verein Deutscher Zementwerke (VDZ), the German Cement Works Association, and two of the largest paper and cement companies in Europe, to study the recycling of paper minerals. The partners agreed to study the optimization of CalciTech's process for converting the waste stream from recycled paper production into the industrially valuable materials Synthetic Calcium Carbonate (SCC) and Sustainable Metakaolin (SMK).
By implementing this process, CalciTech notes, the paper industry can save millions of Euros in waste disposal charges and taxes, recover carbon dioxide that would otherwise be lost to the environment, and receive the SCC material that has more superior properties than the original mineral.
The cement industry is responsible for about 5% of global carbon dioxide emissions and is searching for ways to reduce its carbon footprint. Cement is made from clinker produced in energy intensive kilns. Substituting clinker is an important part of the industry's carbon reduction plans. SMK has been shown to have good pozzolanic properties and its use as a substitute for clinker in Portland cement is being evaluated.
Due to the attractive environmental benefits and the innovative nature of the CalciTech process, it is expected that European government funding will be granted to support the project. The industrial partners will also contribute and will be beneficiaries when the process is implemented.
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