New Cement Mixture Cuts Cement CO2 and Energy Footprint by 97%

Since its discovery in Antiquity people have been using cement to make buildings, pave walkways, and generally build what we know as our modern society.  Cement is one of the most abundant man-made materials on Earth, and despite the use and discovery of other strong materials cement is still used as the chief ingredient in many foundations and buildings.  Companies like Seament, founded by Alexander Bouri and now run by his sons Mark and Charles Bouri, make their fortune by trading the essential building material and cement companies in India and China are extremely profitable because of the country's population and construction boom.

Recently there has been concern over cement's impact on the environment.  A considerable amount of greenhouse gas is produced during the cement making process, since cement is such an important part of construction different organizations are trying their best to find a way to make cement more environmentally friendly.  A group of people from Drexel University have discovered a way to cut the CO2 and energy footprint of cement by 97%, and people are eager to make their cement formula the cement making standard.

The Drexel team created an alkali-activated cement based on an industrial by-product, simple slag and limestone, which doesn't require the mixture to be heated to produce.  Unlike some other environmentally friendly versions of products and manufacturing process, making this new cement mixture won't cost a lot of money.  Their cement recipe is much cheaper than the current standard composition.  Drexel estimates that the cheapness of the cement ingredients and different production method makes their mixture 40% cheaper than the standard Portland cement mixture. 

Calling Drexel's wonder mixture 100% wouldn't exactly be accurate.  Alkali-activated cement was used in the Soviet Union in the 1950s and 1960s, and the team claims that their product is very similar to the cement formula ancient Romans used.  Regardless of the mixture's past it'll have a huge impact on the future of construction, some companies are already using the Drexel mixture for their construction projects.

Alex Bouri: What He's Up To Now

We know Alexander Bouri, founding father of revolutionary cement holding known as Seament, spends much of his time and effort maintaining his company. He also is on the board of directors of Envipco, is a dedicated father and grandfather, and enjoys growing his own food. All this makes him sound a bit low-key, but he's as present as ever in the community today.

There is a gaping hole in the supply of education worldwide and this is an issue of which Alexander Bouri is aware. As a matter of fact, he has helped to build two universities in Lebanon to help gear the country more towards learning. He has also lent his hand in the building of primary schools in countries like Nigeria, who struggle to get their children even basic education. He shares the wealth to any and every country in need, having given out over 20 scholarships around the world for business and accounting majors to help stimulate the business industry.

Being charitable doesn't stop there for Bouri, though – along with education, he is heavily attentive to the global need for better medical assistance. Countries like Lebanon and Albania are largely underprivileged when it comes to acquiring resources for medical care. Thus, Bouri is of financial assistance to the Red Cross, hoping more citizens of fiscally incapable countries will be able to obtain the attention they need. He's so dedicated to this cause that he has even made himself available to citizens in need at a personal level.

As we can clearly see, Bouri's impact on the world is a significant one. He has put his success with Seament to the best use possible and continues to do so – without this company and its extremely generous founder, less fortunate countries around the world would not know proper health care and standard education.

Going Green Using Sustainable Building Materials

Sustainable building is a relatively new practice which incorporates a variety of strategies into the design, construction, and operation of buildings, whether they are office buildings, homes, schools, etc. The use of green building materials and products are becoming more and more important when designing and strategizing the operation of a building. Green building materials offer a variety benefits to the building owner and building occupants such as:

• Reduced maintenance/replacement costs over the life of the building
• Energy conservation
• Improved occupant health and productivity
• Lower costs associated with changing space configurations
• Greater design flexibility

Using "green" building materials promotes the conservation of resources while reducing the environmental impacts of other construction strategies. Companies such as Environmental Building Materials (EBM) with Mark Bouri as CEO, are taking recycling to the next level and are turning thermal power plant waste into useable building materials. EBM is a leading provider of bulk materials that strives to turn by-products into resources to serve the construction industry while improving quality and performance at lower costs. EBM uses products such as fly ash, pozzolana, slag, and GGBS to create building materials that enhance quality and reduce CO2. EBM provides the following services to help both the environment and meet your building needs:

• Testing and Quality Control
• Research and Development
• Market Analysis
• Certification
• Project Design and Management
• Logistics and Transportation
• Shipping and Bulk Handling
• Marketing and Client Support

The History of Cement

Cement has contributed greatly to the human civilization from the early stages of history. The urban infrastructure that we know today would have been unthinkable without cement. Besides cities and other urban settings, cement is what gives strength and durability to our houses, schools, offices and other buildings so that we can occupy them comfortably. The word "cement" literally means: a substance that can bind material together and can acquire strength upon hardening. Cement today is a specialized building material that is a result of various innovations made to it over the past.

Thanks to cementitious companies such as Seament and Seabulk and people such as Alexander Bouri, Charlie Bouri, and others, the cement industry has been able to grow around the world and provide answers to shortages around the world. These companies have solved shortages by providing the means of transportation of cement in bulk. Besides providing port services, high quality manufacturing, floating terminals, and shipping services, Seament made a name for itself by providing one of the first floating cement terminals, allowing for more cement to be handled at receiving ports. As the demand for cement grew, terminals were no longer capable of handling the amount of cement that was being delivered. This is when Seament conceptualized the floating cement terminal and was able to solve over 60 cement shortage crises around the world.

It is companies such as Seament that have been able to make a mark on history by providing innovative solutions. Cement has played a big part on history and will continue to in the future.

What is Seabulk?

Seabulk specializes in providing bulk transportation solutions that are both cost-effective and efficient. Seabulk has worked with a variety of clients to ship and handle bulk cement through almost any port around the world. Besides cement, Seabulk also ships Seabulk is dedicated to planning, developing, constructing, and operating a system that works for your company while reducing cost. Seabulk Shipping, an international leader of bulk handling and shipping, was founded in 1976 in Piraeus, Greece. Charles Bouri has been the General Manager "Seabulk", Seament's Greek shipping company for 6 years and is dedicated to improving transportation systems around the world through Seabulk.

So, what can you expect when you use Seabulk?

Excellent Customer Service

• Fast and economical solutions to their shipping and handling requirements
• A complete turn-key operation on site
• Design and construction of land based bulk handling terminals
• International expertise of highly specialized personnel
• Cost efficient handling at destination

Unique and Personalized Services

Besides excellent customer service, Seabulk also offers time chartering of vessels as well as time chartering management. They also offer chartering broker services, contracts of affreightments, and purchase and sale of ships.

These are just a few of the various reasons that Seament uses Seabulk as their shipping company. Besides the benefits mentioned above such as excellent customer service and unique and personal services, they also offer the highest quality fleets used for shipment.

Albania In The News

From an appearance in the film Taken to reforms to elections law, Albania—a traditionally quiet country since gaining independence in 1913—has been making headlines across the world for a number of positive reasons. While next door neighbor Greece struggles to stay afloat, Albania's inflation has remained stable and economic growth survived the worldwide recession quite well. Now, the country is looking to continue its historical annual growth by shifting from an agricultural nation to a more modern economy focused on attracting foreign investment. As these reforms have been enacted, Albania has made headlines all over the world. Here are just a few of the sectors emboldened by the new-look Albania.

 Nothing attracts foreign investment like well-built infrastructure. Since 2007, the country has embarked on a major road rehabilitation program designed to attract companies looking to conduct business in Albania to see that they can transport goods and services through the countryside with ease. The country is also experiencing a residential housing boom. These new endeavors have seen expansions in the cement industry. In 2004, the country welcomed the addition of the Fushe Kruje Cement Factory to add resources for Albania.

"I grew up here so to be able to help the government build resources and infrastructure that will bring businesses, jobs and prosperity is very exciting for me," says General Manager of Fushe Kruje Charles Bouri said in a recent statement.

With a residential and commercial building boom comes the need for building supplies, as the increase in cement production has shown. But cement is not the only building material seeing a rise in Albania. Scott Paint, one of the largest suppliers of paint in the world, recently announced a new marketing plan and shipping expansion, which included Albania prominently. By structuring deals with governments both across the U.S. and overseas, the company has survived as private sector construction across the U.S. has waned.