Aramco announced on Tuesday that it has joined hands with the China Building Materials Academy (CBMA) to launch NEXCEL - Nonmetallic Excellence and Innovation Centre- to further advance the use of nonmetallic materials in the building and construction sectorin Beijing. 

The centre will leverage CBMA’s expertise and resources to promote the development and application of nonmetallic technologies that offer superior lifecycle cost, efficiency and environmental advantages over their metal alternatives, Aramco said in a press statement.

Aramco had established similar centres of excellence for nonmetallic materials in the UK [Nonmetallic Innovation Centre at The Welding Institute (TWI) in Cambridge] and in the US [NEx at the American Concrete Institute (ACI) in Michigan]

Ahmad A. Al-Sa’adi, Senior Vice President of Technical Services at Aramco, said: “We are excited to be part of this important initiative with the China Building Materials Academy, to jointly advance the use of nonmetallics in building and construction in China. At Aramco, we have been developing and deploying nonmetallic solutions within our own operations for more than 20 years as they offer superior lifecycle cost, efficiency and environmental advantages over their metal alternatives. Given the advantages of nonmetallics, we believe that this new Center of Excellence for Nonmetallic Building Materials will catalyse a wide range of exciting new opportunities.”

Zhan Yanjing, Vice President of the China National Building Material Group (CNBM), said: The partnership represents our long-term collaboration and mutual trust, and it is also an important measure to build green, low carbon solutions.  As an important platform for CNBM’s technological innovation, CBMA is the largest and strongest research centre in the field of nonmetallic in China. CBMA will provide great support to NEXCEL, and create an open and innovative environment, helping NEXCEL make greater contributions to global sustainable development.”

Aramco said NEXCEL will promote the development and application of nonmetallic technologies by exploring opportunities for joint projects in research and development, standards development and adoption, professional development and certifications, advocacy and international outreach. 

The press statement noted that CBMA has eight professional Scientific Research Institutes, seven state and industrial key laboratories, and 23 national standardisation technical committees. CBMA has been recognised as the 'Base for International Sci&Tech Cooperation' by the Chinese government.

CBMA has launched similar initiatives with international organszations, such as the UNIDO International Centre for Materials Technology Promotion, the Asia Pacific Partnership on Clean Development and Climate (APP), the Cement Task Force, and the APP Centre of Excellence, as well as the Cement Sustainability Initiative (CSI) China Office to promote sustainable building materials.

(Writing by SA Kader; Editing by Anoop Menon)
(anoop.menon@refinitiv.com)

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