“When it comes to spewing out carbon dioxide and other agents of global warming, some of the biggest offenders are mundane construction products like drywall. Serious Materials in Sunnyvale, Calif., says that manufacturing it accounts for 1% of all the energy used by U.S. industry, and thus a comparable percentage of all industrial emissions. The company will soon market a product called EcoRock that could drastically shrink drywall’s carbon footprint.
In the traditional production process, gypsom and other raw materials are combined in watery slurry that must be rolled flat and dried, guzzling energy. Serious Materials’ new recipe combines chemicals that, when mixed, react to create much of their own drying heat. The company was voted the top prospect at a recent green investment forum, and in November, it snared $50 million in venture capital. CEO Kevin Surace argues that industry must find a way to improve on traditional building products.” – Excerpt from www.businessweek.com.
-By John Carey. Edited by Adam Aston
