Skip to main content

Sustainable concrete solution from Canadian firm?

A firm in Canada claims it has the answer to questions over the sustainability of concrete as a construction material. One of the key problems is that the cement used in concrete, is responsible for up to 7% of the world's carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. However Canadian company CarbonCure claims its concrete solution can conquer this catch, allowing concrete construction to become more sustainable. CarbonCure’s solution is to introduce recycled CO2 into fresh concrete. And according to the firm, this tech
August 9, 2018 Read time: 3 mins
A firm in Canada claims it has the answer to questions over the sustainability of concrete as a construction material. One of the key problems is that the cement used in concrete, is responsible for up to 7% of the world's carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. However Canadian company CarbonCure claims its concrete solution can conquer this catch, allowing concrete construction to become more sustainable.


CarbonCure’s solution is to introduce recycled CO2 into fresh concrete. And according to the firm, this technology could save up to 700 megatonnes of CO2 emissions/year, going a long way to tackling the serious threat to human habitation being posed by climate change. It is worth noting that cement  is the world's second largest industrial source of CO2 according to the 1612 International Energy Agency. The United States Geological Survey says that global cement production accounted for 1.818 million tonnes of CO2 emissions in 2017.

However CarbonCure claims that its technology can deliver significant cost benefits to concrete producers, while making construction more sustainable. It says that injecting CO₂ into concrete improves the compressive strength, enabling a producer to optimise mix designs. This also reduces the quantity of cement needed, further improving the overall environmental footprint and once the concrete cures, the CO2 is said to remain sequestered within the material.

The firm says that its Technology has no upfront capital costs, allowing producers to quickly see a positive return on investment. As a result concrete producers can benefit from improved operations, while offering industry the ability to reduce the carbon footprint of construction projects. The CarbonCure Technology is seamlessly integrated into a plant’s existing batching system and has no impact on daily operations or on cycle time. Aside from improving compressive strength, there is no impact on the concrete’s fresh or hardened properties.

Concrete producers already using this technology buy in the CO2 from other industries. But because the process reduces the quantity of cement required, CarbonCure claims its technology cuts concrete production costs. Thomas Concrete and Ozinga Concrete are two of the major concrete producers in North America using this technology at the moment.

At the moment just 90 concrete plants in North America are using this technology, but CarbonCure believes this solution can deliver a major benefit to the industry worldwide. Nor is the CarbonCure system the only such technology, with at least two similar systems being developed at present.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • New drilling and blasting technology aids efficient quarrying
    March 15, 2012
    Innovations in drilling and blasting and crushing and screening are bringing major economies of scale to aggregate production operations. Drilling and blasting is an area where new technology is offering major saving to quarrying companies. This is another important factor in the quarrying process, as inefficient drilling and blasting can have major financial repercussions.
  • Concrete plant efficiency with new machines
    August 14, 2019
    New technology for concrete production will help boost efficiency New advances in concrete plant technology will help boost materials quality for users. The latest machines are more versatile and more productive than previous generation equipment. Ease of transport and fast assembly/disassembly and commissioning are other important factors for the latest plants. Research and development is an important issue for all manufacturers in the segment. With Liebherr for example having two new laboratory mixe
  • Managing resource to create more resilient roads
    June 22, 2018
    As pressure increases on the cost and availability of resources, investment in recycling technology continues to grow across the road building industry. To meet its full potential, a greater understanding is needed of material performance to allow the building of more resilient, sustainable and economic networks - *David Smith explains.
  • How bitumen technology solutions are solving paving problems around the world
    March 2, 2017
    This month we hear how additives can bring RAP back from the dead and fight the ravages of salt damage, how pellets reach parts that PMB can’t and how Shell and WeedsWest are expanding their respective businesses - Kristina Smith writes