Adaptavate, a world pioneer in developing and industrialising low-carbon and carbon-negative construction materials, has announced the successful build and commissioning of the world’s first pilot line capable of producing Breathaboard in a continuous, integrated, and scalable process.
Breathaboard is a revolutionary bio-based, carbon sequestering alternative to one of the most widely used construction products, plasterboard. It is produced, specified and installed in the same way but with carbon and performance benefits. Breathaboard saves approximately 4 kg of carbon dioxide per square metre over gypsum plasterboard, so it is easy to see how quickly a significant difference can be made from a total annual market of around 13bn m².
Adaptavate’s patented technology enables CO2 savings through product formulation and production processes. The company uses fibrous and cellulosic by-products from food and fibre crops and binds them with minerals and small amounts of water to form a flat board material. Unlike other board materials, their production process requires no natural gas and absorbs low concentration CO2, potentially from industrial emissions in the industrial curing process.
Jeff Ive, CTO at Adaptavate, says: ‘The commissioning of our pilot line is the culmination of a year’s hard work from the team. From conception, we knew that for the technology platform to have the impact the planet requires, the solution needed to be scalable! Now that we see full size boards made on a continuously extruded process, with a comparable performance to the incumbent, we can see this vision becoming a reality. The pilot line capability, as part of the development centre, gives us the foundation to replicate our core innovation for production partners around the world, with the confidence that the product is technically scalable. It’s a game changer for us, for our industry, and for the planet.’
Breathaboard production is already oversubscribed until the end of the summer with pilot projects coming to life imminently. Unusual Rigging HQ is the first company using the boards coming from this world’s first pilot line, helping Adaptavate accelerate their development and pilot programme. ‘Adaptavate really is rethinking and redesigning the way building materials are produced, used and disposed of and their commitment to preserving our fragile ecosystem through innovative technology and manufacture aligns strongly with Unusual’s values,’ says Unusual MD, Tom Harper.
Adaptavate is now working with the British Board of Agrément (BBA) and is on track to achieve the BBA Agrément Certificate for Breathaboard, the UK’s first carbon sequestering alternative to plasterboard.
Also, to achieve the greatest level of ecological impact as quickly as possible, Adaptavate’s next step will be consolidate global partnerships to scale its unique technology with the world’s largest construction products manufacturers. This will enable the manufacture of low-carbon and carbon-negative construction materials anywhere in the world, using locally available resources and absorbing CO2 created locally.
Tom Robinson, founder and CEO at Adaptavate, says: ‘This milestone is a step forward in our journey to lead the desperately needed carbon change in the construction industry. It has validated our technology and industrial process to produce a revolutionary alternative to plasterboard. We are now looking to deploy our unique platform in partnership with world leading production companies looking to produce multiple low-carbon and carbon-negative construction products with different value propositions for global markets. Thanks must go to all our funding, technology and product testing partners – this is just the beginning of our transformative industrial approach to a better way of doing business.’
Adaptavate’s overall aim is to be a leader in helping decarbonise the construction industry.
Adaptavate’s pilot line project has been funded by a UK Government grant (Innovate UK), and a group of climate-focused investors dedicated to accelerating carbon removal within the construction industry, such as Counteract, Low Carbon Innovation Fund 2 (LCIF2), Perivoli Innovations and SEMIN Group.
