Holcim invested in UK-based Coomtech, a cleantech start-up that offers an innovative low-emission kinetic drying technology for raw materials.
Coomtech’s technology combines low-carbon and circular benefits: it emits up to 75% less CO2 than traditional drying methods, enabling the use of recycled materials in cement and concrete that would otherwise require a high amount of energy to dry.
The investment builds on a current collaboration between the two companies to develop a new low-carbon cement product with recycled fly ash using kinetic drying technology. The project is partially funded by the UK government.
“At Holcim, we are continuously working to implement greener operations for a net-zero future, and to increase the use of recycled materials in our products to drive circular construction. Coomtech’s low-emission drying technology helps us meet both these goals. I look forward to working with them as a key partner in our journey to decarbonize building,” said Edelio Bermejo, head of global R&D for Holcim.
Coomtech’s kinetic dryers remove surface moisture by shearing the water from particle surfaces. The dried particles go to storage, transport or directly into processing. Holcim’s investment will help scale Coomtech’s low-emission drying technology in the construction industry by applying it to a wider range of materials, such as sand, clay and pozzolan.
