Gerdau Graphene has launched “NanoCONS,” a new line of graphene admixture solutions designed for the construction industry, meant to enable concrete producers to leverage the physical properties of graphene to improve the mechanical performance of their concrete products.
The integration of NanoCONS into cementitious materials may also reduce carbon emissions associated with concrete production: according to recent research on graphene-enhanced concrete, reducing cement content can lower concrete manufacturing-related emissions by up to 20%. NanoCONS can help reduce cement consumption without any loss of concrete performance, thereby contributing to more sustainable concrete production.
The NanoCONS line of graphene-enhanced concrete admixtures joins the Company’s existing graphene additive lines NanoDUR, NanoLAV, and NanoCORR designed for paints and coatings as well as Poly-G, commercially-produced graphene additives for the plastics industry.
“The launch of the NanoCONS line reflects our team’s efforts in research and applied development aimed at developing industry-leading solutions for the construction industry and underscores our commitment to enhancing the performance, durability, and overall sustainability of industrial products,” said Valdirene Peressinotto, Executive and Innovation Director at Gerdau Graphene.
The first product in the NanoCONS line, NanoCONS W104, is a water-based graphene nanoplate admixture that can be applied to cementitious matrices such as cement pastes, mortars, and concretes to improve physical properties such as durability, mechanical strength, impermeability, and other desired performance attributes. NanoCONS W104 was specially developed for application in precast concrete and offers precast concrete producers such traits as increased mechanical strength, efficient water management and associated cost reduction, enhanced durability and accelerated drying.
“Gerdau has a broad portfolio of solutions for the construction industry, with products for foundations, structures, rebars, profiles and trusses, among many others,” said Elder Rapachi, Executive Director of Gerdau Next. Gerdau Graphene is a Gerdau Next company, a new business unit created by Gerdau, the largest steel producer in the Americas, with the aim of diversifying the company's portfolio with products and services in segments adjacent to steel. “The development of graphene solutions for the construction sector enriches the ecosystem of the entire company. Through Gerdau Next, we can help complement end-to-end service for our customers, offering innovative graphene technologies from Gerdau Graphene in addition to services from other Gerdau Next companies.”
To learn more about graphene's use in construction materials, read Graphene-Info's Graphene Construction Materials Market Report.