MIron, perhaps more than anything else, cement is the glue that holds the world together—especially our cities. But producing it requires a large amount of fossil fuels, and the industry is responsible for up to 8% of global greenhouse gas emissions, according to a 2023 study by. The environment.
Efforts to address this issue have historically focused on things like fuel and efficiency. But some companies have another option, which could be a big win for the climate and the cement industry: creating carbon-free construction materials by storing excess carbon in concrete.
Paebbl captures carbon from the atmosphere and combines it with ground olivine rock to form rock powder or mud. That can be used as an inactive industrial filler or an ingredient in construction materials such as concrete. The system, known as accelerated mining, can be done within an hour and reduces the quality of concrete by 70%, said Paebbl CEO Andreas Saari. Naturally, that process can take hundreds of years.
“You’re not only saving carbon, but you’re also replacing some of it [kiln-made] clinker is the biggest carbon emitter in concrete,” he said. “It doesn’t need a high temperature to make; it gives off heat, which we can take and use as energy.”
Paebbl produces 200 kg to 300 kg of product each day at its pilot plant in Rotterdam, where it is also building a demonstration plant. By 2030, it aims to have three commercial-scale plants operating across Europe and North America.
Some companies store carbon directly in the concrete. CarbonCure injects carbon dioxide into fresh concrete during mixing. Once injected, the gas seeps into the water, permanently binding it to the concrete. By using this type of concrete, companies can reduce their emissions by 3% to 5%. CarbonCure estimates it has saved about 450,000 metric tons of CO2 until now.
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One major barrier to scaling up technology like this is getting the details set in codes and regulations. Building codes are being updated to allow for new types of breathable concrete. And in the US, the Federal Buy Clean Initiative has led to more than $2 billion being earmarked for low-carbon building materials, including cement, for federally funded projects. And companies like Paebbl and CarbonCure are also seeing economic incentives for their technology by selling carbon credits stored in building materials.
For now, it’s “a bridge solution,” Saari said. “We need to find a way to store billions of tons of CO2. Where can we find permanent residence? The building materials are there.”
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