Sika reinforces its leading position as an enabler of sustainable construction. In cooperation with leading key players, Sika is working on the development of concrete admixtures implementing the LC3 technology that lowers CO2 emissions, developed by the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne. This new technology aims to facilitate the production of performant and sustainable cement with less clinker.

Concrete is the most commonly used construction material in the world. The key ingredient of concrete is cement, whose production accounts for 6–8% of global CO2 emissions. As a technology leader in its industry, Sika focusses its R&D activities on the development of more sustainable, user friendly and at the same time better-performing product solutions. With its concrete admixtures, Sika enables to incorporate calcined clay in concrete, and to reduce the carbon footprint.

LC3 – A PARADIGM SHIFT IN THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY

With the LC3 project, the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne, together with key players in the construction materials industry, targets to reduce the CO2 footprint of cement by switching to a novel supplementary cementitious material, that has the ability to replace up to 50% of clinker in cement. The new technology will play a significant and growing role in the concrete industry and represents a great opportunity for Sika to enable the construction sector to adopt this technology rapidly and effectively. Sika will provide solutions for concrete production and mortar products.

SIKA SOLUTIONS PROMOTE LC3 TECHNOLOGY

Sika is prepared for a full-scale product testing with interested customers. The future Sika product portfolio will include cement additives and concrete admixtures enabling customers to adapt their materials and mix designs to the new characteristics of LC3. Water consumption, workability, hardening and durability of concrete will be maintained as compared to conventional products.

Frank Höfflin, Chief Technology Officer: “With these new LC3 admixtures we are walking the talk of our sustainability strategy. Our aim is to act as an enabler of sustainability in the construction industry and develop more environmentally friendly and better-performing products. We are committed to maximizing the long-term benefits for our customers and other stakeholders, reducing resource consumption and the construction industry’s environmental impact. LC3 based binders have a huge potential, and with our dedicated team we are bundling our R&D and technical expertise to help support and promote the widespread use of this exciting LC3 technology.”