Game changer for the construction industry

SafeRock is a technology based on research from the University of Stavanger. It is artificial stone, that can be used to a safe and sustainable way of permanent plug & abandonment for the oil industry.

The company Saferock AS was established in 2019, and the technology they are using in their product, is based on research from Mahmoud Khalifeh and Helge Hodne at University of Stavanger.

The solution can make a huge impact for the worldwide concrete business; not just plugging wells. Concrete is the world's most used building material. On every continent. But cement production is a climate change due to large CO2 emissions. The most important ingredients in concrete are cement, and the world's total cement production in 2016 was about 4.2 billion tonnes. The CO2 emissions from this production are a significant contribution to the climate accounts. The solution of Saferock makes cement by using geopolymer.

- With geopolymer there is no combustion. We use crushed stone from the mining industry. Today, this is a waste product from the industry that creates problems when discharging into the fjord or as landfill. We mix the crushed stone with an environmentally friendly activator that makes the mixture harden just like regular concrete. In this way, we can reduce CO2 emissions by approx. 70 percent, says Espen Lea, general manager of Saferock AS.

Snøhetta is one of the partners of Saferock.

The company is supported by Norges forskningsråd, Enova, Innovasjon Norge, VRI Rogaland.

Empowered by Validé:
• Validé TTO involved in patenting and commercialization
• Incubator company from 2019
• Investment from Validé AS
• TTO- and businessguide Michel Eid.
• Business developer: Terje Handeland
• Board member: Terje Handeland
• Participates in ITSA Growth in 2019/2020
• VRI funds for research on what requirements the product must meet in order to be approved.
• Investment from Validé Invest I