The emissions go into your walls: CO₂ to concrete

Lux Research recently published a burst of in-depth research on CO₂ utilization. This collection of seven technology landscapes examines the technologies and key players that convert CO₂ into carbon additives, chemicals (by method and by end product), concrete, ingredients, polymers, and synthetic fuels. Viewed together, these landscapes form a coherent picture of the emerging carbon economy. Momentum and innovation activity are growing fastest in CO₂ to synthetic fuels and chemicals, though those processes are at a big cost disadvantage to that of conventional production. I’d like to draw your attention to one of these topics that, despite snagging a big chunk of venture investment in 2020–2022, might not be getting enough appreciation: concrete.

Among the materials suitable for CO₂ utilization, concrete stands out as a promising carbon sink because of the scale of concrete production, the permanence of the CO₂ sequestration, the maturity of technology development, and the benefits of CO₂ sequestration for concrete curing. Concrete is one of the few materials where there is a clear pathway to sequestering hundreds of millions of metric tons of CO₂ annually, though of course more investment and development will be required to reach that level. There are several technological approaches, and most of these have developers at or near the commercial stage. New startups are forming and joining this competition — a sign of healthy dynamism (and low barriers to entry). Major incumbent producers like Cemex, Holcim, and CRH are investing in and partnering with startups rather than seeking to squash potential competitors.

Yet, there are a few ways to screw up in the field of CO₂ to concrete. First-generation player Calera was simply too early to market, before policy drivers began to play a role, and it sought to compete with incumbents rather than partner. Solidia Technologies was one of the most well-funded startups, raising more than USD 120 million, but it poured this investment into R&D without moving quickly to bring its best product to market. In our annual predictions report for 2024, I predicted that Solidia would get acquired, and, in July, it divested assets and licensed IP to CalPortland. The economics of these varied processes are not equal; though several developers claim to be profitable from their first plant, others are betting on higher carbon prices and economies of scale. A client at a global oil & gas company told me that he sees “no joy” in the CO₂-to-concrete business (he meant “no profit”). Companies that earn revenue from industrial waste disposal and high-quality carbon credits will fare better than those that aim to profit solely from selling their materials.

If you’d like to learn more about how industrial companies are innovating to both decarbonize and seize new market opportunities in the sustainability transition, please tune in to our upcoming webinar “The Next Era of Industrials Innovation” on Thursday, October 17. I hope to see you there!