Carbon Dioxide derived concrete - an answer>

CO₂-Derived Concrete Can Build a Net-Negative Future writes Eve Pope, Technology Analyst at IDTechEx.

In a world with a growing population and a rapidly expanding construction sector to match, how do we prevent building homes from damaging our climate? Concrete is the second most consumed material on Earth, but its key ingredient, cement, is responsible for 7% of global anthropogenic CO₂ emissions. The answer could come from thin air - CO₂-derived building materials.

The new IDTechEx report "Carbon Dioxide Utilization 2024-2044: Technologies, Market Forecasts, and Players" explores many ways to valorize captured carbon dioxide to create useful products. Among these, CO₂-derived building materials showed particular promise due to performance improvements and cost-competitiveness, as well as sustainability benefits. IDTechEx forecasts over 170 million tonnes of captured CO₂ will be utilized in building materials by 2044.

Carbon dioxide can be utilized in concrete production in three different ways: injection of CO₂ during curing of precast concrete, injection of CO₂ during mixing of ready-mixed concrete, and formation of carbonate aggregates/additives.

Stages of concrete production with utilization (CO2U) and carbon capture (CC) opportunities labeled

Unlike some other carbon dioxide utilization pathways, such as the conversion to e-fuels, which requires large amounts of energy and green hydrogen (often prohibitively expensive), the basic mineralization chemistry underpinning the uptake of CO₂ during concrete manufacturing is thermodynamically favored and less energy-intensive because stable metal carbonates are formed. These carbonates represent effectively permanent sequestration of CO₂, so CO₂-derived building materials double up as simultaneous carbon dioxide utilization and carbon dioxide storage. The process is compatible with many different sources of CO₂.

Valorizing waste.

In addition to waste CO₂, solid waste streams can also be repurposed into new concrete using CO₂ mineralization chemistry to form carbonates. For example, CO₂-derived concrete players include Swiss company neustark, who uses the reaction of CO₂ with demolished concrete to store carbon dioxide and produce concrete aggregate. Another aggregate producer, O.C.O Technology, instead uses CO₂ and waste materials from industrial thermal processes. Meanwhile, building materials giant Heidelberg Materials has ongoing R&D into recycling concrete using CO₂ to form a cement substitute. Steel slag is being explored by companies including Carbonaide and CarbiCrete as a cement replacement during CO₂-aided curing. Additional revenue can be generated through waste disposal fees, with some CO₂-derived concrete players reporting to having already achieved price parity with incumbents.

Accelerating adoption.

Concrete production is typically low-margin, and willingness to pay a green premium is low. Therefore, widespread deployment of CO₂-derived concrete will rely on CO₂ utilization technology players, creating easy-to-adopt solutions that are minimally disruptive to existing manufacturing processes. In CO₂-aided curing, some players have targeted retrofittable curing chambers. Elsewhere, plug-and-play and mobile unit solutions are also being commercialized.

2023 saw the release of several ASTM standards around CO₂-aided curing, improving confidence in the safety and quality of CO₂-derived precast concrete. While many CO₂-derived building materials have yet to achieve price parity with conventional concrete, some customers are willing to pay a premium due to enhanced performance (such as higher strength and improved aesthetics).

Going beyond net-zero.

The direct uptake of CO₂ into concrete can be a net-zero process if the carbon dioxide is sourced from a fossil point source (such as a coal power station) or a net-negative process if biogenic or direct air-captured CO₂ is used. In 2023, a collaboration between direct air capture (DAC) company Heirloom and CO₂-derived concrete player CarbonCure stored CO₂ captured from the ambient air into concrete for the first time.

But is CO₂-derived concrete still net-negative when considering the CO₂ released during cement production? The formation of metal carbonates during CO₂ mineralization can increase concrete strength and reduce the amount of cement needed. Alternatively, some carbonate additives can act as supplementary cementitious materials and replace cement. Therefore, according to IDTechEx?s analysis of players, several can produce carbon-negative concrete products. The permanent storage of CO₂ into concrete enables players to sell high-value carbon dioxide removal credits on the voluntary carbon market.

Carbon footprint data from 12 CO2-derived concrete players.

The way forward.

Although the production of CO₂-derived concrete is more expensive than conventional concrete, revenue can be generated through waste disposal fees and carbon credit sales, with some players already reporting to achieve price parity. In the future, stronger regulatory support (for example, increased carbon pricing) will accelerate uptake further, with IDTechEx forecasting over 170 million tonnes of captured CO₂ will be utilized in building materials by 2044. With carbon capture solutions for cement kilns continuing to develop, CO₂ could be sourced from cement production, creating a circular solution.

---

For more information on IDTechEx's CCUS (carbon capture, utilization, and storage) market research portfolio, please refer to the IDTechEx "Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage (CCUS) Markets 2023-2043" and "Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) Markets 2023-2040: Technologies, Players, and Forecasts" reports.

• See also Concrete carbon solution.(19/2/2024) 

@IDTechEx #PAuto #IoT

Concrete carbon solution.

As the climate continues to warm, so does the demand for technologies that can reduce CO² emissions and/or efficiently remove CO² from the atmosphere. Proposed solutions for sequestering CO² are plentiful, but there are serious issues around how to verify the claims made by the promoters of these innovations. Accurately measuring the veracity of claims has become a key issue in the private sector’s Voluntary Carbon Market (VCM)*, which is increasingly emphasising the need to monitor, verify, and report the amount of CO² that is actually captured and stored.

Jonne Hirvonen & Tapio Vehmas

Carbonaide, a Finnish company serving the concrete industry, has a clear answer to this challenge – and it’s market-ready. Their technology utilises CO² to produce a carbonate mineral. With support and cooperation from the measurement technology company Vaisala, Carbonaide’s solution is practical and straightforward, and underpinned by accurate monitoring.

Big challenges call for smart solutions.
Climate changing CO² emissions come from many sources, but the concrete industry alone emits 8% of global CO², mostly in the form of emissions from standard Portland cement manufacturing. As a major global contributor of greenhouse gas emissions, the concrete industry is under enormous pressure to lower its carbon footprint. A single ton of Portland cement creates an astounding 800–900 kilograms of CO² emissions, and with regulations increasingly tightening around concrete production emissions, efficient technologies to reduce the CO² emissions from concrete are in high demand. The challenges are several-fold: How to remove CO²? Where to store it? How to do this affordably? And – just as importantly – how to accurately measure performance?

Simply stated, Carbonaide’s expertise is in the transformation of concrete from a large emission source into a carbon storage sink. The company’s CEO is Tapio Vehmas, an analytical chemist by training with more than 20 years of experience in the concrete sector. He is one of the co-founders of Carbonaide, alongside COO Jonne Hirvonen. As Vehmas puts it, “Our goal is quite focused – to create a more sustainable future with cutting-edge tech that doesn’t just reduce the carbon emissions of concrete, but also stores more CO² than it emits throughout its lifetime.”

Explaining the Carbonaide proposition, Vehmas says, “As experts in both carbon curing and sustainable carbon dioxide value chains, we offer an effective and robust decarbonisation technology for pre-cast concrete manufacturers. With our technology, a concrete manufacturer can reduce cement consumption in daily production and also decrease the carbon footprint of its products by mineralising CO² into concrete.”

Carbonation is traditionally considered as a degradation mechanism of hardened concrete. In Carbonaide technology, carbonation is reversed into beneficial mineral formation during the concrete hardening process. Carbonate mineral formation enables the utilisation of CO² as a supplementary cementitious material and provides permanent storage of gaseous CO².

Carbonaide COO Jonne Hirvonen is eager to talk about the advantages of their production-ready innovation and the ways his team has benefitted from Vaisala’s advanced measurement tools. “Our unique advantage is that we accurately measure and control the carbon-curing process. Just as importantly, we have pushed our product to be as easy as possible to install and start using. The majority of our measurements are CO² levels – and the quality of online measurement data is a top priority for us.”

Hirvonen continues, “Unlike many, our carbonation can be efficiently and accurately verified by process measurements, without the need to constantly sample the concrete products. One early challenge we faced was that CO² is usually measured in either ppm levels or for workplace safety purposes – but our range requirement is very wide. For this reason, we needed new solutions that did not impose risks on the quality of our measurements. At this point it became clear that Vaisala could play an important role in our solution.”

Carbonaide’s initial requirements were quite simple. As they developed their process, they understood that significant measurement needs would arise, so they were eager to go with a partner who really understood this. Hirvonen is also keen to emphasise that partnering with Vaisala was not only useful in the initial development stages. “If your business is expected to grow, you should only work with partners that are able to help at both the early stages, and also later, during implementation on a larger scale.”

---

*Voluntary Carbon Market (VCM)

@CarbonCredits @VaisalaGroup@_Enviro_News #PAuto #Environment #Finnland 

MagMeter for concrete batching applications.

The M7600 electromagnetic flow meter has been added  to Badger's accurate, high-performance ModMAG® family. The Badger Meter M7600 Flow Meter combines the most advanced electromagnetic flow metering technology, with a simple, yet robust output, providing an easy-to-use flow measurement solution for use in a wide range of concrete batching applications.

Specifications: • Pipe size: 1/2...4 in. (15...100 mm) • Accuracy: ± 0.5% of rate for velocities greater than 1.64 ft/s, ± 0.008 ft/s for flow rates less than 1.64 ft/s • Repeatability: ± 0.1% of reading • Flow range: 0.14...1320 gpm (0.53...5000 lpm) • NEMA 4 and NEMA 4X weather-resistant transmitter enclosure options • Power supply: 92...275V AC (9...36V DC) Features & Advantages: • Ability to recognize empty pipe • Open cross-section design: no pressure loss, no moving parts, no maintenance required • Unaffected by the presence of most suspended solids in the liquid • Pulsed DC magnetic field for maximum zero point stability • Two standard pulse outputs: solid-state relay and open collector output, compatible with most batch controllers and totalizer displays • Programmable scale factor for batch accuracy compensation • Long life, corrosion-resistant liner (PTFE) • Complies with NIST Handbook HB44 for batching meters

The M7600 electromagnetic flow meter achieves an accuracy of ± 0.5% of rate for velocities greater than 1.64 ft/s and ± 0.008 ft/s for flow rates less than 1.64 ft/s with a repeatability of ± 0.1%. Its rugged design ensures exceptional reliability in demanding environments. The meter features a non-intrusive open flow tube that virtually eliminates pressure loss, and with no moving parts to impede the flow stream, maintenance is kept to a minimum — even in less than ideal fluid conditions. The M7600 is the ideal metering device for clean or reclaimed water batching in ready mix, precast, prestress, and block plants, and requires minimal maintenance over a long operating period.

Greg Perona, product manager, Badger Meter, commented, "The M7600 electromagnetic flow meter was specifically developed for applications in harsh environments, such as concrete batching. Its fully-enclosed transmitter protects an internal LCD display and electronics from dirt, debris and other hazardous conditions. Plus, its rugged construction makes the meter ideal for operation in the concrete industry."

With a robust design, advanced electronics and signal processing, and the ability to perform unaffected, even with the presence of suspended solids in the pipe, ModMAG M7600 electromagnetic flow meters are an excellent choice for concrete batching applications. Reliable and accurate flow measurement in concrete batching enables companies to control material costs and ensure optimal finished product quality.

@Badger_Meter #PAuto @BadgerMeterDE 

Concrete pH

Flat surface electrode design
Fast and easy on-the-spot pH measurements on concrete

Extech Instruments, a major supplier of test and measurement equipment for the industrial marketplace, announces its new PH150-C ExStik Concrete pH Test Kit with everything you need for pH testing. The PH150-C’s flat surface electrode design provides fast and easy on-the-spot pH measurements on concrete, and the kit’s waterproof/dustproof design (IP570) floats in water and protects the meter in wet environments.

Its one metre extension cable with probe guard/weight attached to the flat surface Concrete pH Meter for taking measurements on flat concrete surfaces, and the rust-resistant metal weight helps to keep the electrode in contact with the wet concrete surface. The test kit features a probe guard to protect the electrode. To eliminate guesswork, the test kit’s RENEW indicator tells the user when it is time to replace the electrode and the CAL alert informs the user when it is to recalibrate.

The meter includes a dual display with numerical readout and analog bar graph, and the memory function records and recalls 25 sequentially tagged readings, allowing detection of changes over time. 1, 2 or 3 point calibration automatically recognizes buffer solutions, and the kit features a simultaneous display of pH and temperature with ATC. Furthermore, there is a Data Hold, Auto power off and low battery indicator.

The PH150-C test kit comes complete with a flat surface concrete pH electrode, protective sensor cap, sample cup with cap, plastic stand (that helps keep the meter in place), 1M extension cable with weighted probe guard, plastic bottle, four 3V CR2032 button batteries, a 48” (1.2m) neckstrap, and a carrying case.