POTSDAM,
N.Y., Aug. 6, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- A company
co-founded by a Clarkson University alumnus has made a major
breakthrough in the world of bridge building. KLAW Industries'
inventive cement replacement product Pantheon™
officially received approval from the New
York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) and is
being used for the first time on a $21.2
million bridge project in Whitney
Point, NY.
Pantheon™ is a partial cement replacement for
concrete created from post-consumer glass. Using a patented
process, unwanted materials are removed from waste glass to create
a high-quality cement replacement.
Pantheon™ increases the strength of concrete by
reacting with cement to add additional calcium silicate hydrate
(C-S-H) to the concrete. C-S-H is the crystal structure that gives
concrete its strength and durability. This allows concrete
producers to lower their cement content, improve strength, and
lower carbon emissions.
"NYSDOT approval is the 'highest law in the land' for concrete
materials in New York," said KLAW
Industries co-founder, Electrical Engineer and Clarkson Alumnus
Jack Lamuraglia. "The approval has set KLAW Industries on a path to
sell Pantheon™ across the state."
KLAW Industries was founded in 2019 by Lamuraglia, and
Mechanical Engineer Jacob Kumpon
after touring recycling facilities and seeing firsthand the
problems with post-consumer glass. The goal of the founders was to
create a company that solved tangible problems for recyclers and
concrete producers.
Concrete producers are struggling with the supply of
supplementary cementitious materials (SCM's) and recycling
facilities are struggling to find an end market for glass.
Pantheon™ was developed to solve both of these
problems.
KLAW Industries got its start at The Cube, Clarkson's student business incubator program,
under the mentorship of Director of Ignite Ashley Sweeney and Director of the Shipley
Center for Innovation Jamey Hoose. Since then, KLAW Industries has
scaled up production, won millions of dollars in funding from
business plan competitions and grants nationwide, opened a
production facility in New York
State, and even used its Pantheon™ product in a
sidewalk project on Clarkson's
campus.
"The Clarkson project spurred
interest in adoption from others, such as the City of Binghamton and, eventually, the
NYSDOT," Lamuraglia said.
In 2022, the City of Binghamton
used Pantheon™ in its curb and sidewalk project,
resulting in awards for both the City and KLAW Industries from the
American Concrete Institute.
Now, New York State has begun
its first project using Pantheon™. The product is being
used to replace the U.S. Route 11 bridge over the Tioughnioga
River, construct 1.5 miles of new ADA-compliant sidewalks along
both sides of U.S. Route 11 from Main Street to Keibel Road, and
install new crosswalks at Whitney Point Middle School and the
Broome County Fairgrounds.
"This project, which enhances safety and walkability while
replacing a 77-year-old bridge, is a solid investment in the future
of Whitney Point, which is home to
one of the best county fairs in the entire Empire State,"
New York Governor Kathy Hochul said in a press release announcing
the project partnership. "Coupled with innovations in new
technology that will lower carbon emissions, this project will not
only shore up the Village's infrastructure, but make it a more
resilient place to live, work and raise a family."
As KLAW Industries continues its growth, the company has begun
fundraising efforts.
KLAW Industries is currently raising $1.75 Million in funding to scale up its
Binghamton production facility to
meet growing demand in New
York.
"When we started at Clarkson,
no one had heard of Pantheon™," Lamuraglia said. "Now we
just can't make enough product to satisfy our customers. We are
raising money to rapidly expand our production capabilities."
Once fundraising is complete, KLAW Industries will recycle all
the glass in the City of
Binghamton, and will fully utilize their current production
facility. From there the team aims to expand Pantheon™
production nationwide.
For more information on KLAW Industries, visit
klawindustries.com.
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SOURCE Clarkson University