Amazecrete: Offering Sustainable Concrete Solutions like ICRETE
Please tell us about Amazecrete, the company, and its flagship product ICRETE.
Amazecrete is an initiative started by highly qualified professionals, each with over 30 years of experience in the cement, concrete, ready-mix concrete, and concrete admixtures industries. It all began with a conversation with Dr. Ram Kumar, the inventor and ideator of ICRETE. After thousands of trials in various labs and in collaboration with concrete producers across India, the final product was tested and rolled out in the marketplace. After reviewing the tremendous benefits it brought to concrete producers and consumers of ICRETE, we decided to set up our company Amazecrete.
What are the economic and environmental benefits of ICRETE?
Amazecrete brings sustainability in its manufacturing processes along with cost-efficiency and quality of its products like ICRETE - a patented product developed by scientist Dr. Ram Kumar. ICRETE was engineered to create economical concrete mixtures. When incorporated into concrete mixes, ICRETE has demonstrated a reduction in Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC) content and higher utilization of Supplementary Cementitious Materials (SCMs) like Fly Ash and Ground Granulated Blast Furnace Slag (GGBS). This means reduced CO2 emissions due to less OPC usage, and improved performance due to the higher dosages of Fly Ash and GGBS, which make ICRETE-based concrete mixtures more sustainable. Plus, the manufacturing process of ICRETE is neither complex nor energy-intensive, making it environmentally friendly too.
Continuous testing across India with various cement brands, SCMs, and aggregates, have shown that ICRETE provides economic benefits to concrete users while maintaining or even enhancing product quality in many ways.
How does ICRETE work and what benefits does it offer?
ICRETE promotes the dissolution of alumina and iron present in supplementary cementitious materials and cement. It accelerates the hydration of intermediate phases present in cement, increases the rate of silicate reaction, and forms additional binding phases other than C-S-H.
Additionally, ICRETE aids the formation of these extra-binding phases, thereby reducing pore size in concrete. This results in reduced permeability and increased durability. The product offers many benefits that include:
- Reduction of OPC or total cementitious content.
- Increased waterproofness and durability: Third-party reports confirm that ICRETE acts as a waterproofing compound as per IS 2645. Tests also indicate that ICRETE demonstrates its ability to function based on crystalline waterproofing principles.
- Reduced shrinkage cracks.
- Increased utilization of SCM.
- No change in workability or setting time.
- Potential corrosion inhibitor: interim third-party lab reports suggest that ICRETE may act as a corrosion inhibitor.
Is ICRETE suitable for all types of concrete mixes such as UHPC, HPC, and SCC, and for applications like precast concrete?
Yes, ICRETE can be used to add value to any type of concrete. Numerous trials have been conducted, and applications have been implemented in actual site conditions to prove the efficacy of ICRETE in specialized concretes such as SCC (Self-Consolidating Concrete), HPC (High-Performance Concrete), and UHPC (Ultra-High-Performance Concrete).
ICRETE can also impart its benefits to precast concrete, concrete blocks, concrete pavers, concrete electrical poles, concrete pipes, and various other concrete applications.
Please share some success stories where ICRETE made a significant impact.
We have had many success stories. Some examples include the complete replacement of a reputed microfine material with ICRETE. One customer was using 450 kg of OPC + 120 kg of PFA + 70 kg of finely ground SCM, which was replaced by our mix of 450 kg OPC + 120 kg PFA + 15 kg ICRETE. The ICRETE mix met all the required properties, both in the fresh and hardened states. There are many similar cases where ICRETE has worked extremely well at doses of 0.7% to 2%.
In another case, a customer was using 340 kg of OPC + 100 kg of PFA for their M40 concrete. An ICRETE mix with 295 kg OPC + 135 kg PFA with 1.3% of ICRETE was used. The former mix gave 52 MPa, whereas the ICRETE mix gave 59 MPa, indicating that further optimization of the mix can be achieved.
In the past three years, we have had many success stories where customers have expressed their satisfaction with ICRETE’s performance and the economic benefits, plus the value addition induced by ICRETE.
How aware is the construction industry about sustainable concrete solutions and the costs involved?
There is a lot of awareness in the construction sector about sustainable concrete, but there is a perception that sustainable solutions should be cheaper than traditional products or practices. The construction industry must stop looking for cheaper solutions, instead of viewing products and practices through the prism of sustainability. Sustainability does not always come at a lower cost; the costs need to be understood from the standpoint of lifecycle costs. Fortunately, ICRETE achieves both cost-effectiveness and sustainability. We also need to convince government agencies and specifiers to encourage the use of sustainable solutions like ICRETE.
In fact, at Amazecrete, we are taking measures to inculcate zero-waste policies. We are utilizing industrial waste in our processes and product innovations. So, the concept of circular economy is embedded in every step of our processes and manifests in our cradle-to-cradle designs.
What new products or innovations can we expect from Amazecrete in the near future?
Amazecrete undertakes a lot of research and development to come up with new products that will transform the concrete industry. With our principal scientist, Dr. Ram Kumar, we will be introducing AMAZECURE, a new technology for self-curing concrete. When incorporated into concrete mixes, it will effectively eliminate the need for further external curing. This is a significant step towards sustainable concrete solutions as it conserves precious drinkable water.
We are making a lot of efforts to introduce ICRETE to a larger user base and increase our market share. Each customer has unique requirements and ingredients, and to convince them we need to conduct trials and build awareness of the benefits of ICRETE. We are currently focusing on the Indian market, which is enormous, before we will consider exporting.
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