A consortium of companies has joined forces to demonstrate the feasibility of the entire CO₂ removal value chain, from carbon capture and liquefaction to transport and finally end use in concrete manufacturing. As part of this initiative, Carbonaide will mineralize a total of 90 tonnes of CO₂ by the end of 2024.
Carbonaide Ltd, a startup that enables the manufacturing of carbon-negative concrete, plays a critical role in the joint initiative: the company mineralizes captured CO₂ and stores it permanently in concrete.
The CO₂ is supplied by ARC, a Danish waste-to-energy plant capable of capturing up to 4 tonnes of CO₂ daily directly from flue gas.
The CO₂ removals are sold to Swiss outdoor clothing and climbing gear brand Mammut via a carbon removal marketplace operated by Danish startup Klimate.co, and Bofort, a cryogenic ISO tank leasing company from Belgium is responsible for safely facilitating the liquefied CO₂ supply chain before Carbonaide mineralize it in Hollola, Finland.
Professional rock climber Adam Ondra features as the face of the initiative – that’s his photo above and his strength and efforts are what is needed to replace concrete from the incumbent construction companies!
At the center of this demonstration, uniting all parties, is the Danish tech start-up Klimate.co, which operates the marketplace on which the CO₂ mineralized by Carbonaide is sold to Mammut. Mammut is committed to halving its emissions by 2030 and reaching net zero by 2050. The company is also exploring innovative ways to remove CO₂ from the atmosphere, which led to this project demonstrating the concept of permanent carbon removal via mineralization in concrete.
The first factory in Finland utilizing Carbonaide technology has been operational from August 2023, producing carbonated products on a commercial scale. The current technology can be applied to manufacture non-reinforced precast concrete products, such as pavements and intermediate walls. Carbonaide is working toward expanding the technology into precast elements in the future. The company will seek certification under one of the leading carbon market standards to monetize the permanent removals on the CDR market.
Carbonaide offers the most effective and robust carbonization technology for pre-cast concrete manufacturers. We master both carbon curing and sustainable carbon dioxide value chains.
Their technology is fully compatible with Portland cement mixtures and allows the concrete manufacturer to reduce cement consumption in daily production and decrease the carbon footprint of the products further by mineralizing CO2 into concrete. Their carbon curing technology enables the production of carbon-negative concrete. In other words Carbonaide technology can mean that a precast plant may become a carbon sink!
Carbonaide technology originates from VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland and receives strong support from the local pre-cast industry and concrete sector.
Both countries, like Sweden and Finland, do excellent research on using carbon for their construction industry and road building, with Cementa AB and Carbonaide Oy, inter alia, creating innovations with reduced carbon emissions.company’s line of products with a CO2 reduction of at least 50%.
Carbonaide is working case study for VTT:
A solution for manufacturing carbon negative concrete is hidden in the above container standing next to a curing facility in a concrete plant in Hollola, Finland. In the container, carbon dioxide is forced into concrete blocks using an automated system. The process takes place at atmospheric pressure, and can easily be implemented into the existing manufacturing processes.
The process of commercialising it as a spin-off company is currently under way, supported by the VTT LaunchPad incubator. Concrete is one of the largest single sources of carbon dioxide emissions, and VTT’s researchers have developed a solution for manufacturing carbon negative concrete products. They achieve carbon negativity by combining an efficient carbonation process with low-carbon binders.
In 2019, VTT demonstrated how to produce carbon negative concrete by carbonating steel industry slags and side-streams from the paper industry. If a five-storey apartment building was constructed with carbon negative concrete manufactured with the Carbonaide method, carbon dioxide emissions would be reduced by 440 tonnes.
Pictures: Carbonaide and Betoni
