CTC #14 - Decarbonizing concrete

June 9 - 23, 2022

Hi there,

Welcome to another issue of Climate Tech Canada! This week we have funding for food waste and space-based emissions monitoring, a new ban on single-use plastics, and a deep dive into the world of concrete. We don’t think about it often in our day to day, but it really is all around us - it’s part of our homes, highways, sidewalks and more. How we make concrete is how we make a lot of our world. Let’s get into it.

Taking the carbon out of concrete

What material is the second most consumed in the world, with three tons used for every person in the world each year?

It’s our unassuming friend, concrete. The material is so ubiquitous it’s easy to overlook. But it’s a huge part of our lives. Over 900 billion metric tons have been cast since the industrial revolution and 30 billion tons are used each year, generating about 8% of all human-caused emissions. 

So what exactly is concrete, where do all of these emissions come from, and who’s working on this problem?

Concrete is made up of two main parts: aggregates like sand and gravel, and cement which binds it all together. Cement itself is produced in several steps:

  • Limestone and other aggregates undergo calcination, where they’re heated up to 1,500 degrees celsius

  • This process breaks the materials into calcium oxide and carbon dioxide, a material known as “clinker”.

  • The clinker is then ground up, mixed with chalk and voila - cement

You can probably already start to see why this is such an emissions-intensive material. This diagram from CleanTechnica shows where emissions occur along the value stream

cement manufacturing

Emissions can primarily be attributed to:

  • The energy inputs to produce the extreme temperatures required

  • The calcination reaction, which emits CO2

  • Emissions from mining and transporting heavy raw materials

Cement production also uses a ridiculous amount of water - about 900L per metric ton - accounting for about 9% of global industrial water use.

We’ll focus on three companies working to make concrete more sustainable.

CarbiCrete (Montreal, QC)

CarbiCrete is tackling emissions by replacing cement entirely in the production of pre-cast concrete products (i.e. cinderblocks). 

Instead of carbon-intensive cement, CarbiCrete uses slag from steel factories as a binding ingredient. Recycled CO2 is then injected into the fresh concrete to cure it. This carbonation process converts the CO2 into stable calcium carbonates which cures the concrete while sequestering the carbon. 

Not only does this process massively reduce the carbon footprint of the produced concrete, but it also improves the compressive strength by up to 30%. 

The result? 150kg of CO2 removed for each ton produced, even with transportation emissions included.

CarbiCrete is taking this to market as a system that can be integrated into existing producers’ manufacturing systems. CarbiCrete sources the slag from large steel producers and CO2 captured from industrial emitters. 

For producers, the value prop is lower material costs, an attractive product for buyers who need to reduce the embodied carbon in their projects, and improved material strength. 

Carbon Upcycling (Calgary, AB)

Carbon Upcycling is tackling concrete’s carbon footprint by producing additives that can replace a portion of the cement needed to produce concrete. 

It starts by taking industrial waste like fly ash or steel slag, and loading them into a reactor with CO2 gas. The reactor rotates, breaking down the material into very fine particles which allow it to absorb the CO2. 

The additive is sold to concrete producers, allowing them to use 20% less cement while getting 40% improvements in strength and durability. Carbon Upcycling has also spun up offerings for consumer products, plastics, and anti-corrosion coatings using similar methods. 

All this adds up to a 25% lower carbon footprint for concrete, while their other offerings see reductions of around 90%. 

CarbonCure (Dartmouth, NS)

CarbonCure develops technology that allows existing concrete producers to reduce their carbon footprint.

The solution integrates into existing manufacturing systems, and injects CO2 into fresh concrete. The material goes through a carbonation reaction and turns into calcium carbonate. This process sequesters carbon into the concrete, while also increasing the strength. 

While similar to other offerings, CarbonCure offers a solution that seamlessly integrates into existing operations. It consists of two control boxes and a connection to a CO2 tank, and integrates with the software that producers are already using to manage their operations. The system also offers flexibility, with the ability to control the amounts of CO2 depending on the use case.

CarbonCure is also one of the only companies that offers a solution for water waste. By injecting CO2 into reclaimed water, the cement can be reclaimed and reused, reducing water use by 20% and new cement by 10%.

Industry heavy-weights are also helping drive this sector forward, supporting new technology development and test projects. However, the market incentives to embrace these new methods are weak, as the industry remains highly profitable and competing materials are far from being a threat. 

Areas that don’t seem to have as much innovation are clean energy to drive the calcination process, new methods that don’t require such high heat, and recycling and reuse. Know of a company working in this space that I missed? Let me know in the comments.

Funding and growth

TrendiTech (Vancouver, BC) raised $6.2M in seed funding to tackle food waste through its BioTrim technology. BioTrim takes damaged or otherwise misfit fruits and vegetables and turns them into new, stable products that can be used in a wide range of applications from textiles to animal feed.

Metaspectral (Vancouver, BC) received $150k from the Canadian Space Agency to help track emissions by quantifying ground-level CO2 levels. Metaspectral’s imaging system goes beyond conventional cameras, capturing data across the electromagnetic spectrum and allowing accurate measurements within 3% margin of error.

Novus Earth (Calgary, AB) received a $5M investment from the federal government to support the company’s Latitude 53 geothermal energy project in western Alberta. The funding will help de-risk the project through feasibility studies and support community engagement efforts. 

GoBolt (Toronto, ON), a sustainable fulfillment and last-mile delivery company, has acquired Montreal-based fulfilment provider BoxKnight. The acquisition will allow GoBolt to pursue the small-parcel delivery space and support expansion efforts in the US.

Growth & Milestones

Opportunities

Applications are open for Genome BC’s “Climate-Smart Agriculture and Food Systems” program focused on reducing the carbon footprint of the agriculture industry and food systems. Genome BC has committed $30M in funding for research projects, providing co-funding for approved projects. Deadline for submissions: June 27th. 

Check out the “Kickstart your climate tech career” job fair, hosted by climate education company Terra.do and the My Climate Journey Collective, featuring BC’s Moment Energy.

In the news

That’s all for this week! As always, thanks for reading and I hope you have a great start to your summer 🏕

Justin

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