Department of Energy Office Assists Ozinga, Furno Cement Production Concept.
By Don Marsh
A $20 million U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Manufacturing and Energy Supply Chains grant will support a venture of Illinois-based Ozinga, a top U.S. independent ready mixed concrete operator, and Furno Materials, a Mountain View, Calif., startup eyeing ASTM C150-grade cement production with 20-tpd capacity modules.
The Furno process uses conventional material grinding and analysis equipment to prepare feedstocks for a natural gas-powered, vertical kiln. Raw feeds are sourced from calcium-rich waste streams, including hardened returned or demolition concrete or virgin limestone deposits, and subject to chemical treatment required to match compounds netting portland cement clinker.
Environmentally Superior
Project OZ envisions construction of an eight-module, 55,000-tpy cement plant in Chicago, output from which would be consumed at Ozinga’s extensive operations in Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin. Based on testing of material from pilot scale equipment, “Furno’s cement is not only environmentally superior, but it also meets the high-performance standards we require for our projects,” said CEO Marty Ozinga IV. “We and our customers want to reduce our carbon footprint, without sacrificing quality and schedule. Furno delivers the product we’ve used for generations while lowering emissions. We look forward to continuing to work to integrate this cement into our operations and help us reach our goal to deliver carbon neutral concrete by 2030.”
“Furno Materials’ vision is to make cement production accessible for everyone anywhere. We do this by building plants that are standardized, decentralized, and decarbonized,” noted CEO Gurinder Nagra. “Project OZ brings this vision to life by combining our advanced kiln technology with Ozinga’s industry expertise to produce the same high-performance cement, but with far fewer emissions. This plant will demonstrate how we can rapidly onshore production and drive down carbon emissions.”
Furno Materials will lead Project OZ design and construction, then manage the facility to ensure it meets sustainability, operational, and community-focused goals. Along with providing technical oversight, Ozinga will supply all raw materials and guarantee 100% of the cement offtake – ensuring commercial success from the outset.
Performance Proved
In conjunction with the DOE Office of Manufacturing and Energy Supply Chains grant announcement, Furno Materials reported successful testing of its product to ASTM C150, Standard Specification for Portland Cement performance requirements, CTLGroup the third-party lab.
“With these results and the backing of key industry leaders, we’re ready to scale,” Nagra affirmed. “Meeting ASTM standards is just the baseline. Our product exceeds the strength and performance that customers expect from traditional cement, without asking them to compromise on quality or reliability. By offering the same trusted product used in the industry today, we remove the barriers to adoption, making it easy for concrete companies to integrate our solution.”
Furno Materials was founded in 2020 to standardize, decarbonize and decentralize cement production; increase flexibility for established site or greenfield plant build out; and, streamline facility construction to schedules measured in months versus years. The company’s 10 investors include Bill Gates-backed Breakthrough Energy, the top participant in carbon-minded cement or concrete technology startups.
COMPANION DOE GRANTS
Project OZ is one of three in construction materials and 14 overall under the DOE Office of Manufacturing and Energy Supply Chains’ commitment of $428 million to accelerate clean energy-powered manufacturing. Joining Furno Materials as construction materials recipients are:
- Terra CO2 Technology Holdings, Golden, Colo., developer of full and partial portland cement replacement materials, led by OPUS Supplementary Cementitious Material. Up to $52.6 million in funding for a new production facility in Magna, Utah.
- Urban Mining Industries, New Rochelle, N.Y., developer of recycled glass-derived Pozzotive pozzolan. Up to $37 million in funding to support new plants in Baltimore plus Indiantown, Fla.
All projects were selected on criteria including plans maximizing economic, health and environmental benefits in communities with strong ties to coal-fired power generation or coal mining. “The transition to America’s clean energy future is being shaped by communities filled with the valuable talent and experience that comes from powering our country for decades,” said Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm. “By leveraging the know-how and skillset of the former coal workforce, we are strengthening our national security while helping advance forward-facing technologies and revitalize communities across the nation.”
