The Italian startup DMAT presents a revolutionary and sustainable concrete, inspired by a recipe from the “antica Roma”. The idea was born thanks to a chemical-archaeological study published by Science Advances magazine

DMAT technologies respond to the new needs of a market, that of concrete, which today is worth around 650 billion euros and which is called upon to respond to the urgent challenge of decarbonising its production processes, among the most impacting on the planet: its the industrial chain is in fact responsible for 8% of CO2 emissions. Concrete is man's most used material, 33 billion tons of it are produced every year, 18 times the weight of global steel production and eight times that of all automobiles produced in history.

At the base of the innovative self-healing concrete, a study on the Pantheon in Rome, built 1905 years ago and survived intact to the present day after facing earthquakes, fires and bad weather. Investigating the secret behind the resilience of the concrete with which the Pantheon was built was a research begun in 2017 and led by chemist Admir Masic - associate professor of Environmental Engineering at the MIT-Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the most avant-garde university in the research and development of materials.

Starting from this study published by the authoritative magazine Science Advances, which identified the elements that have allowed its extraordinary longevity, the Italian startup DMAT, a deep tech company specializing in cutting-edge materials, has begun to develop an innovative technology to create new types of durable and sustainable concretes, without increasing production costs.
Founded by Paolo Sabatini, among other things co-author of the aforementioned research, together with Masic himself and, among others, his compatriot Carlo Andrea Guatterini, and the Frenchman Nicolas Chanut, DMAT has just landed in the United States giving life to a newco it will also deal with the development and marketing of concretes with these new characteristics. Certified in Switzerland by the Institute of Mechanics of Materials, this new generation of concretes is characterized by the ability to self-repair. DMAT technology also guarantees a significant reduction in costs and CO2 emissions compared to products on the market today.

The first new generation concrete to enter the market is called D-Lime and combines durability and sustainability performance never achieved before. In fact, this product makes it possible to extend the life and quality of buildings through its ability to self-repair any cracks. A process which, similarly to the Roman cement studied by Masic, is activated by water which, instead of damaging the material, closes the cracks with a process similar to that of the healing of biological tissues. The concrete developed by DMAT also allows for a 20% saving in CO2 emissions. The creation of D-Lime concrete is entrusted directly to the producers who, through a licensing plan intended for producers, construction companies and real estate developers, will be able to directly apply the new formula without modifying the production plants. DMAT technology will make it possible to create products which, for the same performance, will allow for savings of up to 50% in costs.
Appendice: Pantheon picture by NikonZ7II (CC).
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