New Product will Improve Environmental Engineering Material Options

The ASCE Innovation Contest recently recognized three childhood friends for their development of a cement substitute. Jacob Kumpon, Jack Lamuraglia, and Tanner Wallis formed KLAW Industries to showcase their new concrete pozzolan.

This product is named Pantheon. It is made from recycled glass and could replace cement in the concrete industry. KLAW Industries began working with local recycling and concrete businesses and hopes to grow from there. To read more about this trio and the ASCE Innovation Conest click here. 

Cement vs. Concrete 

Many people think cement and concrete are the same material. In fact, cement is an ingredient of concrete. Cement is mixed with other materials such as sand and water to create concrete.  Cement will not harden on its own. It must be mixed with other materials. 

What is a pozzolan? 

Pozzolans are substances that do not harden into useable construction materials without being mixed with something else. For example, cement is a pozzolan that when mixed with other materials and water creates concrete.  

Traditional pozzolans such as fly ash and volcanic ash are becoming harder to find. As these materials become scarcer the price of cement is increasing. Pantheon provides and alternate material to traditional pozzolans creating an environmentally friendly solution while also reducing cost. 

A Good Choice for Environmental Engineering

Pantheon solves at least two environmental engineering issues. It reduces the amount of material going into landfills by recycling glass and provides a sustainable and more affordable building material. These new materials can be used when constructing concrete structures that provide many solutions to water resource management needs.  

A core foundation of O’Brien Engineering is continuous improvement. We continue to be a trend setting engineering firm. Part of this is continuing to improve our knowledge of new technologies and materials we can use to create cutting edge designs and solutions for our clients. To find more about the environmental engineering aspects of our firm visit the Water Resources/Environmental Design page.