Testing green way to make concrete

A Long Island concrete maker says it is testing a new, energy-saving method of recycling demolition debris into concrete.

Nicolia Industries, of Lindenhurst, said the new method of producing environmentally friendly ready-mixed concrete is still in trial stages on the Island.

The environmental benefits of the process could be twofold, the company said. It could help keep concrete debris out of the Island's landfills. And it could sharply reduce production of carbon dioxide, compared to the energy-intensive process needed to make virgin cement.

Nicolia's partner -- the patent holder -- is Santa Rosa, Calif.-based Clean Concrete Technologies. Using CCT's methods, Nicolia has supplied concrete to a Bay Shore contractor, Condos Brothers Construction. Condos is using the concrete in a project this week as a trial run, Nicolia said.

Nicolia has ready-mixed concrete plants in Lindenhurst, Island Park, Riverhead, Smithtown, Westbury and Shirley. A related company, Nicolock, makes interlocking paving stones.

CCT says its concrete is "made with recycled and by-product materials . . . achieving strengths equal to or greater than conventional concrete. What's more, preliminary calculations show that CleanCrete takes 50 percent less energy to produce."