New Building Material Boosts Sustainable Construction

New Building Material Boosts Sustainable Construction Ferrock, a remarkable new building material, was born from an accidental discovery. While trying to prevent steel particulates from clumping in water industry wells and trench filtration systems, inventor David Stone found that the process rapidly cemented the particles into a concrete-like substance. Rather than abandoning the unexpected result, Stone embraced it, developing a process that quickly bonded steel particles into an extremely hard material. Simply put, Ferrock is made from waste. It consists of fine steel particles, dust, shavings, and small filaments, particularly from steel rather than pure iron. “The secret lies in the rusting process,” Stone says. “Rust buildup on a heavily corroded bolt and nut can act as an incredibly strong binder. Ferrock leverages this trait, allowing millions of tiny steel fragments to rust simultaneously and bind together, transforming corrosion from a destructive force into a constructive one.” The Ferrock binder contains no Portland cement. Its main ingredient is ultra-fine steel particulates, which, thanks to their immense surface area, react quickly and thoroughly with water and carbon dioxide. Ferrock is also carbon-negative, capturing CO2 as the steel powder transforms into siderite crystals, iron carbonate minerals known for their earthy brown, yellow, and gray colors. About 10% of its weight is sequestered CO2. The process also uses a silica source, such as coal ash or ground glass, and incorporates a clay mixture and a mild organic acid to initiate the reaction. Under optimal conditions, warm temperatures, and abundant CO2, Ferrock can set in just a few hours. According to ScienceDirect, at 28 days, the material exceeds concrete by 13.5% in compressive strength, 20% in split tensile strength, and 18% in flexural strength. Despite its promise, Ferrock has yet to break into the mainstream construction industry, which is often wary of change. Stone has instead pivoted to producing pre-made structural panels strong enough to support a single story or a light roof. The product also outperforms traditional cement in high-heat and fire conditions, creating safer, more fire-resistant homes. “We should be able to make a house that doesn’t kill you if it catches on fire,” Stone says. “Plus, building shapes and sizes is where we hope our niche happens. Typically, panels are 4 by 8, but since we’re making them by hand, we can build unique sizes, put a curve in them, or bow them out to flex a little.” He describes his startup, Carbon-Bound (soon to be Ferrock Fabrication), as developing a new green material that aims to reduce carbon emissions, but it’s premature to present it as a typical supplier. Stone will not offer Ferrock as a raw material or advise people on how to make or use it. Instead, his company will build finished products, such as panels of various shapes, and sell them. Their cost will be comparable to that of competitive products already on the market. “As Emil Hanson did over 100 years ago, when he had the idea to create a more durable concrete using clean local sand instead of dirt and clay, we’re now starting over in a sense with the double challenge of making strong, durable structures as well as making them green and sustainable.” Stone is actively developing international contacts by building panel prototypes to attract the attention of major industry leaders. Some connections have already shown interest in using the material for specific projects. “We must develop our prototypes into real products and demonstrate their use in the field,” Stone says. “It’s possible we could negotiate a partnership where another company would do the initial manufacturing.” Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Carbon-Bound, Silver City, New Mexico (davidstone@carbon-bound.com; www.carbon-bound.com).

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