PES for EIC Accelerator: SafeRock – durable, ductile and sustainable building materials

SafeRock was established in 2019 as a spin-off from the University of Stavanger (UiS) with a mission to develop a unique and environmentally sustainable geopolymer - replacing Portland cement. In addition, the development effort is set to enable a circular economy within mining tailings/residues. The EIC Accelerator program is targeted to accelerate both technical and commercial maturity. A strong link to the European Green Deal exists based on “increasing the EU’s Climate ambition for 2030 and 2050”, “mobilising industry for a clean and circular economy” and “building and renovating in an energy and resource-efficient way”. The project also aligns well with several of the UN Sustainability Development Goals. The current Technology Readiness Level (TRL) is assessed to be at 6. Two geopolymeric materials have to date been developed from norite and granite by-products, with unique selling points (USPs) defined as: * More durable than neat G-cement – withstanding high temperatures, up to 1200°C * More ductile than Portland cement * Sustainable – 70% less CO2 footprint than Portland cement due to no calcination * Low shrinkage factor - less than 0.5% * Permeability - 1000x less permeable than cement (in range of cap rock permeability) * Abundant material available – enabling a circular economy for mining residues and improving the environmental performance further Piloting partners have been confirmed to support SafeRock’s efforts during the EIC Accelerator project, including Snøhetta (an architecture firm), Titania (a mining operator) and SV-Betong (a construction firm). A dialogue is also ongoing with Hydro in Brazil related to their bauxite mining operation. The preliminary work plan spans 24 months and includes five (5) work packages (WP): 1) Technology optimization 2) Large scale piloting 3) Supply chain robustness and regulatory preparedness 4) Commercialization and exploitation 5) Innovation Management