Industrial supplier W.R. Grace invests in 'green' concrete

On March 18, W. R. Grace & Co. announced the completion of a strategic investment in Ceratech, Inc., a Maryland-based firm that has developed green, sustainable concrete admixture technologies for formulating high strength, fast setting concrete primarily using fly ash, a waste stream product from coal fired power plants. Ceratech technology uniquely enables the production of environmentally friendly, high performance concrete. Under terms of the investment, Grace also has exclusive rights to market Ceratech products and technology in the manufactured concrete market.

Grace currently manufactures a wide range of products for commercial and residential construction markets, including concrete admixtures, cement additives, roofing underlayments, fire protection products, air barrier systems, and below grade structural waterproofing systems. Collectively, these products help make homes and buildings stronger, safer and more comfortable. Ceratech’s green, sustainable concrete admixture technology was first commercialized in 2001 in an effort to utilize waste stream fly ash to make high performance concrete repair materials.

“Our investment in this new technology is the latest step in expanding our portfolio of green materials for the construction industry,” said Andrew Bonham, president, Grace Construction Products. “We expect Ceratech technology combined with Grace’s extensive technical expertise and strong customer relationships in the cement and concrete industry will accelerate growth for both companies.”

Grace is a leading global supplier of catalysts and other products to petroleum refiners; catalysts for the manufacture of plastics; silica-based engineered and specialty materials for a wide-range of industrial applications; specialty chemicals, additives and building materials for commercial and residential construction; and sealants and coatings for food and beverage packaging. With annual sales of more than $3.1 billion, Grace has about 6,500 employees and operations in over 40 countries. For more information, visit Grace's web site at www.grace.com.

Ceratech, Inc. is a worldwide manufacturer and supplier of engineered, high performance cements for construction, transportation and manufactured concrete industries. Ceratech was founded in 2001 and has corporate offices in Baltimore, Maryland.