Canadian firm Progressive Planet has filed a US provisional patent application for a new supplementary cementing material (SCM) branded Planet LCD Cement, designed to replace up to 50 per cent of Portland cement in concrete.
The company said laboratory testing has demonstrated strong compressive strength when Portland cement is replaced on a weight-for-weight basis at substitution levels of 20, 35 and 50 per cent, with results meeting ASTM C618.
Planet LCD Cement uses limestone, gypsum and diatomaceous earth, a naturally occurring siliceous material that the company says could provide a lower-cost alternative to metakaolin-based materials used in other blended cements.
“Planet LCD Cement uses diatomaceous earth, limestone, and gypsum, all which are plentiful materials,” said Steve Harpur, CEO of Progressive Planet. “We have created a highly reactive cement without metakaolin. Waste diatomaceous earth powders sell for a fraction of the cost of metakaolin.”
The technology was developed by Harpur, Dr Doug Brown and Michael Carrell, members of the company’s research team. Progressive Planet has also filed a trademark application for the Planet LCD Cement name in Canada and plans to seek patent protection internationally.
Separately, the company said its C-Quester Centre of Sustainable Solutions in Calgary will hold its grand opening on 26 March 2026, where research will focus on developing further versions of Planet LCD Cement and other SCM technologies.
Progressive Planet is also advancing the installation of its PozGlass SCM pilot plant in Kamloops, British Columbia. According to the company, the facility is expected to begin producing dry glass powder before the end of its financial fourth quarter on 30 April 2026, subject to final electrical connection.
