A construction project in Germany has become the test-bed for the first commercial-scale application of what is said to be a breakthrough carbon storing technology.
Holcim has partnered with Swedish start-up Paebbl and general contractor Goldbeck to use the groundbreaking technology to build the foundations of a logistics centre in the south of the county.
Paebbl Rebond uses accelerated mineralisation technology that actively turns captured CO2 into a stable, light grey mineral powder – composed primarily of magnesium carbonate and silicon dioxide – mimicking a natural process.
This innovative supplementary cementitious material (SCM) can then be used to replace a portion of traditional cement, not only reducing embodied carbon in cement and concrete but permanently locking in carbon dioxide.
Bengt Steinbrecher, head of Holcim MAQER Ventures, through which Holcim has invested in Paebbl, said: “With this project we’ve proven how we can scale innovative technologies for a more sustainable built environment. It’s the result of a great collaboration with our partners, showing that construction innovation doesn’t happen in a vacuum – but through a collaborative ecosystem.”
The innovative concrete floor slab mix enabled a 15% reduction in cement use versus the reference CEM II/B-M. In addition, it permanently sequestered 886kg of CO2 through mineralisation across the 420m2 project area, demonstrating that innovative carbon-storing concrete can be used to realise large-scale building projects.
The project moved from concept to implementation in just six months, and involved laboratory testing in Holcim Innovation Center in Lyon, France, while plant trials with Holcim South Germany to assess concrete workability, air content and bleeding behavior were instrumental. Holcim also collaborated with Paebbl to produce a verified Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) for the concrete.
Image credit: Bannafarsai_Stock/Shutterstock
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