Harper International, world leader in thermal processing solutions for advanced materials, has been awarded a contract to engineer and manufacture a Rotary Tube Furnace for Cementitious Materials Research to be installed at University of Kentucky’s Center for Applied Energy Research (CAER), located in Lexington, Kentucky. The equipment delivery and start-up services are scheduled within 2024.
The pilot scale equipment will be used by researchers at the University of Kentucky to develop environmentally friendly cement and concrete solutions. Concrete, one of the world’s most widely used man-made materials, accounts for 8% of the world’s carbon dioxide emissions. Through CAER’s research and investigation, a novel and extremely durable concrete product has been created which has less carbon dioxide, requires less energy during manufacturing, and lengthens life.
“Our team at CAER is committed to developing innovative new cements and concretes that are more durable and better for the environment,” said Bob Jewell, Associate Director for Research at the UK Center for Applied Energy Research. “This rotary kiln from Harper International will provide us a much-needed new tool to advance that research, helping us test our work at larger, more industry-relevant scale. We are honored to partner with Harper on this endeavor.”
“Harper is pleased to support University of Kentucky’s research into new cement and concrete solutions with our advanced thermal processing solutions. We expect the research conducted using the Harper rotary system will help validate a greener solution and lead to a better alternative to ordinary Portland cement.” Briana Tom, sales engineer with Harper International.