Climate tech startup increases production of carbon-negative concrete admix with our Finex Ultima™
ecoLocked is one of a handful of concrete admix producers worldwide using biochar carbon removal. The Berlin-based startup was founded in 2021 to provide the construction industry with climate-friendly building materials.
The company’s pioneering product, eLM Zero, is an admix material that lowers concrete’s net carbon footprint by up to 100% and is optimized for mechanical performance. It substitutes conventional inputs like cement and aggregates with a bio-based admix. The material can be used in a range of concrete products, including pavers, concrete slabs, street furniture, stairs, and other design elements as well as ready mixed concrete depending on certification.
Production begins with sourcing quality-controlled raw biochar before processing and sieving. Different fractions are sieved to provide a wide range of possible admix applications. When ecoLocked was founded, it relied on sieving the biochar by hand. With the development of its R&D facility, the company moved to using a small lab sieve to produce biochar samples for product research.
However, both these methods were labor intensive as researchers had to sieve the material manually. This activity took up precious time from the startup’s small team. As ecoLocked began planning to scale production, it looked for an alternative automated sieving method.
Russell Finex recommended the Finex Ultima™ to help ecoLocked expand its admix production. After seeing demonstrations of Russell Finex machines at trade fairs, ecoLocked began working with its sales engineers on a trial of the high performance separator. This machine quickly proved its ability to continuously separate different particles into the required fractions for ecoLocked’s products.
The Finex Ultima™ has been critical in helping ecoLocked move to larger volumes for its mix designs at the mortar and concrete level. Automating the sieving process allows ecoLocked to create different fractions with greater speed. The Russell Finex solution also supports ecoLocked’s continuous operation, which is essential for scaling up admix production. Using the Finex Ultima™ has freed up the ecoLocked team by automating the sieving process and removing the manual steps that were previously needed.
With the Finex Ultima™, ecoLocked is confident that it can produce and optimize its admix materials to meet its specifications and provide quality and consistent performance for customers.
About Russell Finex
Founded in 1934, Russell Finex is a specialist global supplier of sieving and filtration equipment. With its head office in the U.K. and subsidiaries in Belgium, the U.S.A., India, and China the company supplies to over 140 countries.
To speak to an experienced sales engineer to improve your productivity, contact Russell Finex today. pdf
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