Changing Construction Environment... Cement and Concrete Industry Focuses on 'New Product Development'

Increased Demand for Climate Change Response and Strengthened Construction Standards
Reducing Time and Labor Costs... Extending Work Hours

The cement and concrete industry is rapidly developing new products tailored to changes in the construction environment. This is to keep pace with strengthened safety and quality standards as well as the acceleration of ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) management.

On the 7th, employees at Hanil Cement's Gongju plant took a commemorative photo after pouring the floor mortar 'Remital FS150,' which is injected with carbon dioxide. [Photo by Hanil Cement]

Hanil Cement announced on the 27th that it has successfully developed and conducted test pouring of 'Remital FS150,' the first CO₂-injected floor mortar in Korea.

This product injects 0.4 kg of CO₂ per 1㎥ of mortar using Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage (CCUS) technology. CCUS is a technology that captures and utilizes carbon emitted during fossil fuel use. Injecting CO₂ into mortar increases the cement density during the curing process, maintaining the same strength even when the cement usage is reduced by 3%. Typically, about 700 kg of CO₂ is emitted per 1 ton of cement produced, so reducing cement usage directly reduces carbon emissions. Hanil Cement plans to start pouring Remital FS150 at Lotte Construction apartment sites from next month. A Hanil Cement official explained, "If all the floor mortar sold annually uses this product, it can reduce CO₂ emissions by 50,000 tons, which is equivalent to the annual CO₂ emissions of 16,000 passenger cars running 35 km per day."

Last month, Hanil Cement also developed 'Remital Conpatch SL,' an automatic leveling mortar that can be repaired outdoors. It allows quick repairs of wide concrete floors such as rooftops and outdoor parking lots with a thin layer. Internal tests showed that it takes 1 hour to apply to 100㎡, which is 8 times faster than traditional plastering methods.

Ssangyong C&E exported its low-carbon limestone cement, developed this year, to the United States for the first time domestically this month. This product reduces clinker content compared to ordinary cement and increases limestone fine powder by about 10%, reducing carbon emissions by approximately 6% compared to existing products. Since 90% of CO₂ emissions during cement manufacturing are related to clinker, a cement intermediate product, reducing clinker directly lowers CO₂ emissions. Ssangyong C&E received recognition for the eco-friendly excellence of its low-carbon limestone cement by passing the quality inspection of the Portland Cement Association (PCA) and obtained usage approval in three U.S. states: Washington, Idaho, and Oregon.

Sampyo Industry developed 'Bluecon Rain OK' concrete, which maintains quality even when poured on rainy days. By using admixtures and optimal concrete materials, it secured higher viscosity compared to general concrete to increase resistance to material segregation during rain pouring. When it rains, mixing of concrete and rainwater can cause strength, durability, and quality degradation, increasing the risk of poor construction, but Bluecon Rain OK focuses on reducing concerns about insufficient compressive strength.

Sampyo Industrial is applying 'Bluecon Keep Slump,' a super-retentive concrete that maintains long-term construction performance even at high temperatures, to the structural work at 'The Parkside Seoul,' a development project on the Yongsan UN Command site in Seoul.
[Photo by Sampyo Group]

Products that significantly extend the workable time for ready-mixed concrete (remicon) during summer are also emerging. Sampyo Industry introduced 'Bluecon Keep Slump,' and Eugene Corporation launched 'Super Delayed Remicon.' These products prevent concrete from hardening for 3 to 4 hours even at temperatures of 30 to 35 degrees Celsius, doubling the workable time compared to general remicon. Ordinary remicon hardens and becomes unusable if not poured within 90 minutes after arriving at the site.

An industry insider said, "In addition to responding to climate change, the demand for special products is steadily increasing due to strengthened construction standards such as durability design implementation and temperature-corrected strength enforcement. Companies are continuously targeting niche markets and finding their own revenue sources, so new product development is expected to accelerate even more."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.