Calgary-based EnviCore Inc. is developing a cement ingredient made from mining and construction waste it suggests can make a huge dent on the climate impacts of the construction material.

A partnership has been formed with Germany's Heidelberg Materials, one of the largest cement companies in the world offering insight into the potential EnviCore’s technology may have for the industry.

EnviCore's process repurposes mine tailings, fly ash and materials from demolished buildings (concrete, glass) into supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs). The SCMs can be used as a replacement for clinker, an ingredient for making Portland cement.

The SCMs not only reduce the amount of waste that ends up in landfills or potentially contaminating the environment, but cuts carbon emissions from cement production by as much as 85 per cent compared to clinker. The end product is also just as durable, CEO and co-founder Shahrukh Shamim told Sustainable Biz Canada.

“We are supporting not just the cement industry, but also the mining industry . . . where they are dealing with so much mineral waste and they’re putting it right now in landfill . . . and have no specific applications to it,” he said in an interview.

A low-carbon alternative to clinker

Founded in 2019 by Shamim, chief technology officer Aseem Pandey and scientific director Milana Trifkovic, the initial concept was addressing mine tailings. By extracting water from the residue, mining companies could reuse the water while safely disposing of the solid wastes. 

But after numerous conversations with industry players, the team came to understand giving value to waste feedstocks would be a more favourable business model, Shamim explained.

EnviCore developed a process called chemical assisted tempering.

First, a concoction of chemicals activates minerals that strengthen the cement. The chemical and mineral melange is then tempered at temperatures around half those required to make clinker – a maximum of 700 C versus 1,450 C. The process forms new phase formations in the minerals that act as strong bonds when mixed in cement.

The resulting SCM can replace between 20 and 35 per cent of the clinker used to make cement.

By recycling wastes and using less energy compared to clinker, EnviCore’s SCMs produce notably less carbon dioxide (CO2), Shamim said. Cement made with 35 per cent EnviCore SCMs will see its greenhouse gas emissions slashed by around 30 per cent compared to using all clinker.

The cement and concrete industry is a major contributor to global greenhouse gas emissions; estimates put the number between seven and nine per cent. It is an energy-intensive sector, and limestone that makes up clinker decomposes into CO2 at high heat, Shamim added.

Also, the company’s SCMs cut water demand and maintain cement durability and strength at similar levels to using clinker, he said.

EnviCore’s SCMs can give cement and construction companies a way of meeting their net-zero targets, Shamim said.

Solidifying commercial plans

EnviCore, Shamim said, has collaborated with concrete recyclers, cement companies and mining firms to receive its feedstock. It has partnered with a U.S. nickel extractor to turn its tailings into SCMs and a British Columbia concrete recycler to repurpose construction waste, for example.

The company continues to advance the process, which led to two major announcements by the company in October.

The first was its partnership with Heidelberg on a feasibility study in Germany. There, both companies will examine if an SCM production facility can be built near a Heidelberg recycling hub. The project has started, Shamim said, though he declined to disclose further details.

The German cement company has also taken a minority stake in EnviCore.

Then about a week later, EnviCore closed a seed funding round, raising $4.2 million. The round included CSN Inova Ventures, Heidelberg, Techstars, Hillside Ventures and angel investors Mark and Faye McGregor.

The money will go to building EnviCore’s team, supporting its pilot in Germany and preparing for commercialization, Shamim said.

By 2026, EnviCore plans its first commercial plant in British Columbia, which is being designed to produce 200,000 tonnes of SCMs per year, Shamim said.

“We want to set it up most probably in B.C., closer to the west coast, simply because the market demand is over there, but also still be available to ship the material down to the U.S. as well depending on if we have access to rail.”

The CEO has global ambitions.

He envisions expanding EnviCore’s reach to the U.S., Southeast Asia, Europe and South America with production facilities. It has already locked in a pilot project in Southeast Asia which will start in January 2025. Once the pilots are complete, Shamim hopes to reach a Series A fundraise and generate more capital for the commercial facility.