Hyundai E&C wins green certification for nanoparticle concrete tech that cuts carbon by 55%

Hyundai E&C is accelerating the green transition of the construction industry by expanding its use of low-carbon building materials and recycled resources.

The company announced Wednesday that it has received green technology certification for a process technology that dramatically reduces the energy needed to cure concrete — specifically, the application of early-strength concrete at construction sites when the daily average temperature is 5 degrees Celsius or above.

The green technology certification system is a national certification regime jointly operated by nine government ministries, including the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, and 11 evaluation bodies, including the Korea Agency for Infrastructure Technology Advancement, under the Framework Act on Low Carbon, Green Growth. The certification is granted to technologies that have demonstrated the ability to reduce energy and resource consumption across the full life cycle of a technology while minimizing greenhouse gas and pollutant emissions. Certification decisions are based on a comprehensive assessment covering not only technological innovation but also greenhouse gas reduction effects, contributions to environmental improvement and commercialization potential.

The early-strength concrete technology, jointly developed by HMG Construction Technology Research Institute and Sampyo Industry, uses a C-S-H (calcium-silicate-hydrate) accelerator ground and prepared at the nanoparticle level. When temperatures reach 5 degrees Celsius, the technology achieves a compressive strength of 5 megapascals or more within 18 to 24 hours without any additional heat supply.

In the green technology certification evaluation, the early-strength concrete technology was found to reduce carbon emissions by more than 55% and cut eight types of process-emitted hazardous substances by more than 54%, compared with conventional concrete made with Type 1 ordinary Portland cement.

The technology has also been designated a new disaster-safety technology by the Ministry of Interior and Safety — the first concrete technology in South Korea to receive such a designation — in recognition of its outstanding performance in reducing collapse risks during winter construction.

Because the technology is compatible with existing production plants and construction equipment, it offers strong economic viability and ease of on-site application. It has already been deployed at multiple Hyundai E&C project sites, including the Daegok-Sosa double-track railway Section 2 and Hillstate Dohwa The Terrace, demonstrating its effectiveness.

HMG Construction Technology Research Institute has also successfully developed a low-carbon blended cement using industrial byproducts — including blast furnace slag from steelmaking and fly ash from coal-fired power plants. The cement achieves sufficient early-stage strength to allow prefabricated production at factories, and after completing commercialization verification this year, the company plans to deploy it at construction sites, offering both the use of recycled materials and assured quality.

"Hyundai E&C has declared carbon neutrality by 2045 and is devoting all its efforts to developing fundamental measures to decarbonize the entire construction industry value chain and strengthen climate resilience," a company official said. "We will continue to pursue the development of new technologies that consider the environment — from construction materials to finished buildings — and work to build a sustainable construction ecosystem."