Allium Engineering works with steel manufacturers to make better, longer-lasting versions of their products. This involves protecting steel products from corrosion by adding a stainless-steel cladding, which can triple the lifetime of infrastructure and avoid 20x the steel material's weight in CO₂ emissions.
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Steven Jepeal
Steven Jepeal is the CEO and co-founder of Allium Engineering. He began working on Allium while completing his Ph.D. in metallurgy in MIT's Nuclear Science and Engineering Department. Trained as a technical communicator in MIT's Communication Lab, he has spent 200 hours coaching his peers on effective communication. He is drawn to the biggest, toughest problems that technology can solve, which led him to found Allium.
TECHNOLOGY
Critical Need
The United States is in the midst of an infrastructure crisis, with over 200,000 bridges currently in need of major repair or replacement and the average bridge lasting only 30 years before it needs to be repaired or replaced. The resulting excessive use of steel and concrete drives carbon emissions, contributing to the 16 percent of global CO₂ emissions that stem from the production of steel and cement. To address the infrastructure and climate crises, the world needs better, longer-lasting building materials.
Technology Vision
Allium's technology offers a method for improving current steel manufacturing by introducing a durable, robust metal coating known as a stainless-steel cladding. To make this cladding, Allium applies a thick layer of stainless steel to the outside of conventional steel during the manufacturing process. This technology integrates into existing steel mills, and it produces a cladding that is much stronger, more durable, and longer lasting than all conventional coating methods.
Potential for Impact
Allium's technology enables everyday steel building materials to fully resist corrosion within infrastructure like bridges and buildings. This corrosion resistance can significantly increase the lifetime of steel and concrete infrastructure; for instance, Allium clad rebar can extend a bridge’s life span from 30 to 100 years. This not only improves infrastructure and reduces public costs, this rebar can also avoid 20X its weight in CO₂ emissions, making deep, meaningful cuts to our global carbon emissions.