Value proposition
Unique: front end & back end markets
Front end markets
The value of the asbestos-cement processing market is difficult to determine exactly because it is not a regularly tracked statistic. However, there still are enormous amounts of asbestos cement in our living environment. Because of the increased awareness about the high costs for public health, there has been a declining demand for asbestos, and there has been a push for increased regulations related to the use of asbestos and asbestos-containing products. Coupled with Asbeter's AC Minerals process to fully destruct asbestos, we aim to solve the problem of asbestos in asbestos cement in the coming decades. Asbeter's AC Minerals flagship plant has a business case for asbestos cement in the Netherlands for at least 25-30 years.
The quantities of asbestos cement present in other European member states are considerably higher, so there is even more asbestos cement to be processed there. However, that does not mean that Asbeter's market would end. That is because Asbeter's AC Minerals is also suitable for processing non-asbestos cement and concrete waste, and for mineral wool fibres, which are expected to be blacklisted in the coming years and will thus need to be processed in a safe and (ideally) circular way. Our process is highly suitable to destruct those materials too. For this reason, the destruction of mineral wool fibres is included in our AC Minerals patent. We will further explore those other applications once we are well underway with tackling the asbestos problem, as asbestos is the most hazardous substance and thus poses the largest risk to public health and the environment.
Back end markets
Asbeter's diverse end products portfolio potential enables Asbeter to access the global market for carbonised and non-carbonised Calcium Silicate Minerals as reactive replacement for clinker (CSM). Asbeter will adopt a B2B model to supply these raw materials to several industries. Our market is typically segmented by customer size and geographical location. Our targeted segment includes large cement, paint, and catalyst industries. Asbeter will provide a new alternative for all operators in the asbestos management and silicate recycling supply chain. Geographically, with the Asbeter site selected in Moerdijk, the Netherlands, that is our first target country. As we are in advanced conversations with parties in Spain, Denmark, France, Germany, Belgium, the UK and Italy, those are Asbeter's next targeted regions. We will not forget Australia either.
In short
Asbeter's AC Minerals Process offers the first circular process to reuse 100% raw materials by destructing the asbestos fibres present in asbestos cement.
The AC Minerals Process supports a healthier environment and better public health by offering a safe, affordable, environmentally-friendly and sustainable solution to definitively destruct asbestos fibres and, at the same time, return CO2-neutral raw materials to the market. We can do all this while achieving attractive financial returns.
The main stakeholders in our value chain are the public authorities and investors with Environmental, Social and Governance criteria. Firstly, public authorities are responsible for ensuring the safety of people who live and/or work in buildings with asbestos-containing materials. In addition to these actors, we also serve the building industry, which has high concerns about the shortage in raw materials. Moreover, there is a growing need to reduce the industry's emissions. The cement industry, for example, is responsible for about 8% of CO2-emissions. Asbeter's end products will help reduce such emissions. Asbeter's AC Minerals Process only requires water and energy to destruct the asbestos fibres in asbestos cement, enabling us to regain the active minerals in a commercially viable way that is also safe and carbon neutral. No expensive and environmentally unfriendly chemicals are necessary. Our reliable and effective solution is backed up by a strong understanding of the treatment process for asbestos cement fibres by our technical team.
We are able to offer our end product as carbon-neutral raw silicate materials. The other solutions that currently are being developed, have no asbestos-safe end products or a significantly higher CO2-footprint and are much more expensive, so they are not as commercially viable as Asbeter's AC Minerals end products:
AC Minerals end products: MACMA calcium silicates as carbon zero replacement for clinker (Supplementary Cementitious Materials)
Valuable raw material transition with dissolving worldwide asbestos problem
It seemed like a worldwide problem that was impossible to solve. But the Asbeter team has now secured a second patent for the safe processing of cement contaminated with asbestos fibres. The developed deep-tech-cleantech AC Minerals process represents a worldwide breakthrough for tackling the asbestos problem. It is an alkaline process that only needs water and energy to denature the asbestos fibers from, for example, roof plates and pipes. This means that 100% of the material no longer needs to be landfilled, but can serve as a raw material again as reactive calcium silicates for the cement and concrete industry, the paint industry and the industry for chemical catalysis carriers. No emissions to air or water, no nitrogen and 57,000 tonnes of CO2-neutral raw CSM materials for clinker replacement available every year!
