CarbonCure—Capturing Carbon in Concrete Blocks

CarbonCure injects CO₂ taken from industrial sources, such as refineries, directly into concrete masonry units as they are being formed; the special molds and CO₂ injection system can be installed in as little as half a day without affecting the rest of the production equipment.

By Brent Ehrlich

Could injecting carbon dioxide (CO₂) directly into concrete masonry units (CMUs) during production be a tool for lowering carbon emissions from construction? The makers of the CarbonCure Block System say that their system both lowers the environmental impact of CMUs and improves their overall strength.

The production of portland cement, a key ingredient in concrete, results in approximately 5% of the world’s anthropogenic CO₂ emissions. Reducing the amount of this CO₂ in concrete products has long been an industry goal, but CarbonCure is the first company to bring to market a viable, mass-produced product that “sequesters” significantly more CO₂ from the atmosphere than standard concrete without requiring a radical change in technology.

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ARTICLE CONTENTS
	How carbon is injected
	Speeding up a natural process
	Full production runs
	More Information

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