Rethinking concrete

The patented product innovation

What has been lying on heaps for decades, often seen as an unsolved problem, now becomes another resource for the sustainable transformation of the construction industry. The patented SCM product uses the properties of burnt spoil material from the hard coal industry and turns a residue created by natural spontaneous combustion into a pozzolanic material.

CO₂

The cement industry is responsible for approx. 7-8 % of global CO₂ emissions. Every tonne of Portland cement clinker replaced by REINCEM SCM saves up to ~ 850 kg of CO₂.

The EU climate target for 2030 calls for 55 % fewer greenhouse gas emissions compared to 1990. Innovative building materials such as REINCEM SCM are a key lever for reaching this goal in infrastructure.

Hard coal regions

Hard coal regions hold coal mining residues that arose decades ago. Instead of an expensive perpetual burden, these materials now become a valuable resource and make it possible to save greenhouse gases in concrete production compared to conventional methods.

Concrete

With more than 10 billion tonnes per year, concrete is the most widely used building material in the world. SCM substitution in cement is one of the most effective measures for decarbonising the construction sector.

As a product innovation, REINCEM SCM already contributes to achieving many UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Goal 9: Industry, innovation and infrastructure

Goal 12: Responsible consumption and production

Depending on use and application, REINCEM SCM contributes to these goals.

Upcycling mining waste into low-carbon SCM solutions is already convincing

“For many decades, mining regions were the driving force behind industrialisation. Now they have the chance to become a driving force behind sustainable industrial transformation. With our drive for research and our willingness to innovate, we are developing possibilities for more future in the future. We are grateful that Die Autobahn GmbH is breaking new ground with us.”
Quote: Dr. Martin Rausch, Managing Director of reincem GmbH & Co.KG, HEITKAMP Unternehmensgruppe

REINCEM SCM in numbers

Up to 90 % CO2 reduction vs. Portland cement clinker

> 100 years tailings material not used as SCM

0 combustion processes, no energy input required

Supplementary Cementitious Material

SCMs are materials that replace part of the energy-intensive cement clinker in concrete construction. They react pozzolanically or hydraulically with the calcium hydroxide contained in cement, forming strength-giving compounds. Classic SCMs are fly ash from coal-fired power plants or blast furnace slag from steel production – both are becoming increasingly scarce due to the energy transition. The REINCEM product helps to close this gap with a supply-secure, low-CO₂ alternative material.

Material	CO₂ emissions	Characteristics
Portland cement clinker	approx. 800-900 kg CO₂/t	Energy-intensive firing process at 1,450 °C
Fly ash (classic)	< 50 kg CO₂/t	Declining availability due to coal phase-out
REINCEM SCM (new)	< 50 kg CO₂/t	No firing process, autogenously calcined, resource-saving processing

Everyone has one goal

Company

Team advantage and background

The people behind REINCEM combine a willingness to innovate with many years of experience in research, development and business. As part of a joint research project of the HEITKAMP Unternehmensgruppe and RWTH Aachen University, an interdisciplinary start-up team was formed in 2020. Following the development success in the form of a product disruption in the cement sector, reincem GmbH & Co.KG was founded in 2022. The partnership between university researchers and the HEITKAMP Unternehmensgruppe, established in the construction industry for well over 130 years, makes it possible to bring further sustainability innovations to practical maturity in the future. The results are to be made available to the general public as sustainable, application-oriented products.

Supplementary Cementitious Material

As the first solution, reincem offers the possibility of processing residues from mining legacies into valuable secondary raw materials for the concrete and cement industry. Where problem heaps used to dominate, the company creates competitive raw material solutions through interdisciplinary approaches. reincem makes these available to interested construction professionals for their projects. Start an enquiry about the possibilities here (to the contact section).

SCM service

The company’s focus is on developing cement substitutes and concrete additives in connection with the extraction and processing of these materials from anthropogenic deposits. This is a passion that REINCEM will continuously optimise and expand. The target vision is to promote sustainable building material optimisation in as many regions and projects as possible. REINCEM provides new users with the know-how required to enable the conversion of residues from anthropogenic deposits into secondary raw materials and to work with the new raw material.

In-house Equipment

Within the competence network of research and application, a comprehensive range of services is offered, from the initial analysis of mineral waste to the finished secondary raw material. This includes consulting on aspects of waste recovery as well as in-house processing and extraction of secondary raw materials – combined with the licensing of the developed products.

Mission

Conserving resources and reducing CO₂ emissions in the construction industry is the mission behind everything. To this end, REINCEM pursues interdisciplinary and innovative approaches to the development and extraction of secondary raw materials. The vision is for secondary resources from anthropogenic deposits to displace primary resources as the largest mineral source in the building materials sector.

Feel free to get in touch anytime. We love a good conversation.

reincem GmbH & Co.KG
Wilhelmstraße 98
44649 Herne

Contact person:
Dr. Martin Rausch
info@reincem.com