Photocatalytic cementitious binders: from research to industrial applications

Piero NEGRO, Italcementi Group

With an annual production capacity of more than 60 million tons and 46 cement plants, Italcementi Group, until June 2016, was the world’s fifth largest cement producer. Italcementi Group’s industrial network includes also 12 grinding centers, 6 terminals, 420 concrete batching units combining the expertise, know-how and cultures of 22 countries across four continents. On July 2016 , HeidelbergCement has completed the acquisition of a 45% stake in Italcementi from Italmobiliare. The combination of HeidelbergCement and Italcementi creates the number 1 in aggregates production, the number 2 in cement and number 3 in ready-mixed concrete worldwide. More than 63,000 employees work at over 3,000 production sites in around 60 countries on five continents.

Italcementi Group Technical Center (i.Lab Bergamo - Italy) is one of the most important cement research centers in Europe and has a secondary base in Brindisi (Italy). In the last decade, there have been many studies, experimentations and tests carried out by Italcementi, in collaboration with Universities and Regional Research Centers of different Countries. In particular, the innovative utilization of a system comprising photocatalysts and cement (i.active®) has been developed by Italcementi to maintain the aesthetic characteristics of concrete structures, reducing air pollution and fight the formation of bacteria.

Since 1996, Italcementi has filed 12 patents on photocatalysis applied to cementitious materials (on binders: “Hydraulic binder and cementitious composition containing photocatalyst particles”, on applications: “interlocking paving stones, cladding elements in general, plasters, renderings, finishing coats and paints based on lime and cement, concrete or other types of cement-based pavements”).

Italcementi’s laboratories in Brindisi, where the activities of NanoApulia project take place, is mainly responsible for the  formulation of binders additivated with novel visible light active photocatalysts and for setting up photocatalytic tests and characterizations on cementitious materials (industrial flooring and vertical coating) developed by the partners.

Back to TS.I.A