Manufacturing November 14, 2024 6:41:19 am

Dept. of Energy offers Prometheus Materials $10M to study CO2 removal in concrete

By BizWest Staff

LONGMONT — The U.S. Department of Energy is ponying up $10 million for Prometheus Materials Inc., a zero-carbon building materials company, and partner groups to study the removal of carbon dioxide from cement and concrete lifecycle.

The initiative hopes to “establish methods for measuring, reporting and verifying carbon dioxide removal and sequestration in cement and concrete,” Prometheus said in a news release. “Through this initiative, the company expands its role as a leader in the decarbonization of cement and concrete – which currently accounts for 8% of the world’s annual CO2 emissions, pumping 11 million tons of CO2 into the atmosphere every day.”

Prometheus has developed bio-cement that can serve as a strong and durable alternative to carbon-intensive cement. The product combines naturally-occurring microalgae with sunlight, water, and ambient carbon dioxide to create bio-cement. When mixed with aggregate, this bio-cement forms ultra-low carbon bio-concrete. If widely adopted in the construction industry, it has the potential to reduce the impact of an industry responsible for 8% of the world’s total annual CO2 emissions.

SPONSORED CONTENT

“This DOE initiative will advance (carbon-dioxide removal) solutions toward wider-scale commercialization, benefitting both the business world and – most importantly – the climate of our shared world,” Prometheus CEO Loren Burnett said in the release.

Most new cement technologies, such as CO2 injection and accelerated carbonation curing, still rely on portland cement — the leading contributor of cement-related emissions. Prometheus Materials has replaced portland cement with an ultra-low carbon alternative. By changing the fundamental ingredients of cement with a sustainable alternative, Prometheus Materials claims to have reduced by 90% the emissions impact of the building material.

The raw materials in Prometheus Materials’ bio-cement — microalgae, water, sunlight, and ambient CO2 — are abundant, inexpensive and available.

The U.S. Department of Energy is ponying up $10 million for Prometheus Materials Inc., a zero-carbon building materials company, and partner groups to study the removal of carbon dioxide from cement and concrete lifecycle.