Taiheiyo Cement Corporation’s Carbofix blocks adopted for public works

Roadway interlocking concrete blocks and property boundary concrete blocks, both made from Taiheiyo Cement Group’s CARBOFIX^® cement, have been adopted for a municipal public works project of Fukaya City, Saitama, Japan.

This marks the first time that a poured-in concrete product made of CARBOFIX cement has been put in practical use. The CARBOFIX cement has reduced the amount of CO₂ emissions from this project by about 330kg compared to using ordinary cement.

The roadway interlocking blocks used in the project were manufactured at Saitama plant of Taiheyo Precast Concrete Co, and the boundary blocks were manufactured by Hirano Concrete Industry. CO₂ captured from exhaust gas from Taiheiyo’s Kumagaya plant was sued for forced carbon curing, a technology in which concrete absorbs CO₂ and hardens during reaction with CO₂, reducing CO₂ emissions.

The blocks were installed as part of the parking lot of a public facility in Fukaya City, Saitama in July. The space is for large vehicles, requiring higher durability. A serviceability study was launched in August to confirm that the pavement is performing sufficiently. The construction of the blocks was carried out with machinery in cooperation with Taiheiyo Cement Block Industries Association, reducing the labour required for construction. The company is working on its Carbon Neutral Strategy 2050, and using technological development to achieve carbon neutrality throughout the entire supply chain by 2050.