Ara Partners Acquires Majority Stake in Microtec to Decarbonize Concrete Through Advanced Waste Glass Recycling

Transforming Industrial Waste into High-Performance, Low-Carbon Construction Solutions

HOUSTON and NAPLES, Fla., Sept. 16, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Ara Partners, a global investment firm focused on the decarbonization of the industrial economy, today announced its acquisition of Microtec Development & Holdings LLC ("Microtec"), an innovator in advanced micronization technology. Microtec's cutting-edge platform enables highly precise processing of a wide range of industrial materials, with its first commercial application, AggrePlex, centered on the transformation of waste glass into ground glass pozzolan for concrete.

AggrePlex utilizes Microtec's Turbo Mill technology to produce PozzoDyne™ Activated Ground Glass Pozzolan (AGGP), upcycling post-consumer and industrial waste glass—material that would otherwise be landfilled—into a high-performance supplementary cementitious material. PozzoDyne™ offers the concrete industry a drop-in solution to overcome inconsistent quality and supply challenges of traditional materials like fly ash and slag, while delivering a commercially viable, cost-competitive, and consistent alternative to ordinary Portland cement mixes. PozzoDyne™ meets the most stringent industry standards for performance, durability, strength, and sustainability, including global conventions established under ASTM C1866 and C618.

Microtec's patented Turbo Mill technology is proven at scale, with more than 250 mills operating worldwide across a variety of industries. In partnership with Ara, Microtec will accelerate the rollout of AggrePlex facilities across the United States and international markets.

Cement production accounts for nearly 8% of global CO₂ emissions, making it a critical focus area as the industry strives to decarbonize while accommodating increasing demand. PozzoDyne™ is produced with a carbon intensity approximately 94% lower than traditional cement manufacturing. When scaled across AggrePlex's planned U.S. facilities, it is expected to avoid over 550,000 metric tons of CO₂e annually, marking a transformative step toward sustainable construction solutions.

Tim Kuebler, CEO and President of AggrePlex, commented, "PozzoDyne™ AGGP represents the next generation of high-performance, low-carbon construction materials. We are proud to deliver a solution that meets the rigorous performance requirements of infrastructure and industrial applications while significantly lowering the carbon footprint."

Anthony Cialone, President and Founder of Microtec, commented, "Ara Partners' investment marks a transformative milestone for Microtec and AggrePlex. With Ara's capital and expertise in industrial project development, construction, and decarbonization, we can rapidly scale our patented mechanochemical activation and micronization technology. This enables significant reductions in concrete-related emissions and creates a circular solution for our industrial and municipal partners."

David Haughie, executive Chairman of Microtec, added, "AggrePlex's AGGP product addresses all the critical drivers for adoption—cost competitiveness, superior performance, and a lower carbon footprint. With Ara as our partner, we are positioned to execute tangible, economically viable decarbonization, starting with the construction and concrete industries, and expanding to additional sectors."

Christopher Picotte, Partner at Ara Partners, said, "We are committed to backing decarbonization leaders with the ability to scale quickly and deliver measurable results at commercially competitive pricing against the incumbent fossil-based industry. Microtec's proprietary and proven milling technology has extraordinary potential across many waste-to-value applications."

About Microtec

Microtec utilizes its proprietary milling technology in high-value applications across the industrial and waste-to-value sectors.  Its low-carbon construction materials subsidiary, AggrePlex, develops, owns, and operates advanced circular economy solutions that upcycle waste glass and other feedstocks into high-value SCMs, including PozzoDyne™ Activated Ground Glass Pozzolan. The company's proprietary mechanochemical activation process produces ultra-fine, high-reactivity pozzolans that significantly reduce the carbon footprint of concrete while meeting stringent ASTM performance standards.

Microtec was advised by Hannam & Partners in the transaction.

For more information about Microtec Development & Holdings, please visit https://microtecdhus.com/.

For more information about AggrePlex, please visit www.aggreplexus.com.

About Ara Partners

Ara Partners is a global private equity and infrastructure investment firm focused on industrial decarbonization. Founded in 2017, Ara Partners seeks to build and scale companies with significant decarbonization impact across the industrial and manufacturing, chemicals and materials, energy efficiency and green fuels, and food and agriculture sectors. The company operates from offices in Houston, Boston, Washington D.C., and Dublin. Ara Partners closed its third private equity fund in December 2023 with over $2.8 billion in capital commitments. As of June 30, 2025, Ara Partners had approximately $6.6 billion of assets under management.

For more information about Ara Partners, please visit www.arapartners.com.

Media Contacts:

Jane Merkler, Ara Partners (For Ara inquiries)
[email protected]

Zach Harris, Prosek Partners (For Ara inquiries)
[email protected]

Will Cialone, Microtec Development & Holdings (For MTDH inquiries)
[email protected]

Will Cialone, AggrePlex (For AggrePlex inquiries)
[email protected]

SOURCE Ara Partners