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Our key commitment is to energy efficiency and reduction of emissions.
Absolutelystone® products have a much lower impact on the environment than conventional concrete, manufactured stone or natural stone and subsequently a significantly lower carbon footprint.
Main reasons for the reduced environmental impact :
| Recycled raw materials | = | Raw material savings |
| CSA cement instead of Portland cement | = | 62% less CO2 emissions. |
| Reduced product weight of approx. 70% per sq/ft. | = | Massive CO2 reduction for freight |
| 100% recyclable components | = | Less contamination |
| Efficient manufacturing process | = | Low energy production |
| 100% recycled packaging | = | Less contamination |
Absolutelystone® is committed to the preservation of the environment, not only in the manufacture of our products, but also in the life cycle of our products. This process begins with the conscientious selection of our raw materials.
The largest component of our mix is composed of stones of varying densities obtained from the scrap left over from spliting large rocks and which are subsequently crushed to different grades .
Portland cement is the base material used by almost all the cast stone veneer manufacturers and is the most carbon-taxing of all the materials in concrete or manufactured stones because it has to be heated to 2700 degrees Fahrenheit in order to make it reactive.
Our advanced technology combined with the use of Calcium Sulfoaluminate Cement (CSA) which requires only 80% of the energy to manufacture Portland cement and gives off 62% less CO2 emissions enables us to produce a much greener product.
The key advantage of CSA cement is that it is significantly greener than Portland cement and has a much lower carbon footprint.
Portland cement is fired in kilns at temperatures of around 1500°C (2700°F), whereas CSA cements only need to be fired at temperatures of around 1250°C (2250°F). The resulting CSA clinker is softer than OPC clinker, requiring less energy to grind.
The cement industry represents a small yet significant proportion of total global carbon dioxide emissions. The chemical conversion of limestone to calcium oxide reveals the inherent production of carbon dioxide.
For every 1000 kg of calcium trisilicate (C3S) produced from limestone a resulting 579 kg of CO2 gas is emitted solely from the chemical reaction, regardless of the process used or the fuel efficiency.
Ref. : Green Cities Competition. “Green Cement: Finding a solution for a sustainable cement industry”, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of California at Berkeley. April 22th, 2007. John Anderson.
As is evident in the breakdown of CO2 emission sources, the chemical conversion of limestone to calcium oxide contributes to about 48% of the CO2 emissions generated in the production of ordinary Portland cement. Burning fossil fuels to achieve the high kiln temperatures accounts for an additional 42%. Combined, 90% of the CO2 emissions are directly associated with the chemical conversion of limestone into cement.
In contrast, producing 1000 kg of CSA results in only 216 kg of CO2, a reduction of about 62% relative to OPC. This reduction is far greater than that achieved by using industrial waste derived pozzolans as OPC replacements, such as fly ash and blast furnace slag, which are often used to replace only about 10% to 30% of the Portland cement.
Concrete made with 100% CSA is 2 to 6 times greener than OPC that has had a significant quantity of cement replaced with pozzolans, and that includes “green” pozzolans like fly ash and slag.
In fact, CSA cements had the lowest carbon emissions out of nine alternative cements, including magnesia (Sorel cements), sodium metasilicate (water glass) and calcium aluminate cements.
The aaddition of recycled reinforcement fibers to our mix helps to avoid cracking on the surface, increases the freeze thaw resistance properties making our product extremely strong and lightweight .This also allows us to reduce the amount of raw material and cement needed to produce our products.
Our computerized scale equipment accurately calculates the exact amount of material needed for each batch which reduces considerably the waste of mix and extra landfill is minimized.
We also help to reduce our impact on the environment in our manufacturing facility using a closed-loop system that re-uses 80% of our production wastewater.
Purchasing Absolutelystone® products is a responsible and ecological decision.
*Footprint. A carbon footprint is a measure of the impact our activities have on the environment, and in particular climate change. It relates to” the total set of greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions caused by an organization, event, product or person".
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