Betolar is on a mission of impacting the whole value chain of the construction industry.
Betolar enables a vast network of precast concrete manufacturers to produce construction materials. Moreover, the start-up utilises side streams from industrial processes, delivering a double sustainability dividend. Betolar promotes the circular economy and is continuously developing new side stream-based materials. Finnish start-up had a successful year scaling up making headlines on its key milestones.
On 9 December 2021, Nasdaq Helsinki welcomed Betolar to Nasdaq First North Growth Market Finland. Overall, this year Betolar has raised EUR 5 million from Finnish and international investors in its round of funding to speed up its product development work and strengthen its market position. The largest investors in the financing round were Nidoco, Kiilto Ventures, Ahti Invest and Kilo Invest.
Betolar has also received a EUR 7 million capital loan from the Finnish Climate Fund for digital platform development. This is the first time that the state-owned Finnish Climate Fund has funded a digital solution. The loan was awarded for the development of Betolar’s AI platform utilising the side stream database and Betolar’s digital marketplace. The aim of the platform is to act as a digital marketplace for Betolar solutions in the future and as a meeting place for concrete product manufacturers and industrial side streams producers.
Climate-friendly residential building in Finland
Turning industrial side streams into value
The proportion of cement used in concrete production amounts globally to approximately 7% of the CO2 emissions, whereas the proportion, for example, of air traffic in regular times amounts to 2-3%. Betolar’s mission is to create an alternative to cement-based concrete. With Geoprime™ solutions, concrete manufacturers can achieve up to 80% lower CO2 emissions in their production. Manufacturers can also reduce their use of virgin natural resources in their raw materials.
The concrete industry needs new solutions to reduce emissions. Betolar is developing several products in which cement is replaced with binders that are considerably less burdensome for the environment. Betolar, a JA-KO Betoni, are investing in the production of new, more environmentally-friendly concrete products in Kokkola, Finland, which will create a significant competitive advantage for our industry.
Melina Pinomaa, Business Development Manager at Betolar
Impacting the whole value chain of the construction industry
Using local industrial side streams is an affordable way to match the market price for traditional building elements such as bricks and pavers, speeding up the market breakthrough. Betolar’s Geoprime™ solution replaces cement in concrete using industrial side streams from the process, mining and energy industries, among others. The start-up’s solutions are scalable and easy to implement into current production.
The Geoprime™ solution developed by Betolar will replace cement used as a binder in concrete production with blast furnace slag produced through a steel industry side stream in Raahe, Finland. Replacing cement will significantly reduce carbon dioxide emissions. Low-carbon concrete can be used, for example, in the structures of Keliber’s lithium mine in Kaustinen, Finland. Betolar and JA-KO Betoni are assisting Keliber, which is preparing a lithium mine in Kaustinen, Finland, in utilising the massive side streams typically produced in the mining industry.
We wanted to ensure well in advance that the environmental impact of our lithium mines will be as low as possible. Our future side streams will not only be environmentally safe but will also enable the creation of new products and the reduction of the use of virgin raw materials.
Hannu Hautala, CEO at Keliber
EIT RawMaterials support
EIT RawMaterials supported the team with Booster funding in response to the COVID-19 crisis. Thanks to the funding, Betolar developed and validated the solution to stabilise a specific slurry-like waste stream. Betolar has developed the recipe, know-how and process technology for mining companies to stabilise a specific type of mining slurry-like waste stream. In Finland alone, there are several million tons of this waste stream deposited without any further usage.
EIT RawMaterials has been a great support for us to really scale up and to move from the TRL level laboratory to a real pilot scale.
Melina Pinomaa, Business Development Manager at Betolar
Betolar’s AI-powered innovation can significantly reduce CO2 emissions compared to traditional cement-based concrete production by optimising existing manufacturing processes. Betolar’s mission is to enable the green transformation of various industries globally, especially in the construction, process and energy industries, by providing solutions to utilise its unique materials technology.
Due to the grant, we had the resources to file a very extensive patent. Patents play a key role in our IPR portfolio which has had a direct impact on the company’s value.
Melina Pinomaa, Business Development Manager at Betolar
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