Sources: U.S. Department of Energy; CMCM staff

Five new U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)-backed projects focus on next-generation cement formulations and process routes, plus carbon dioxide capture and utilization technologies to address cement plant emissions. The projects and their public or private administrators are: 

• Accelerated Decarbonization of Cement via Integrated CO₂ Capture and Mineralization to Produce High Strength Construction Materials; Cornell University; $4 million

• Beyond Portland: Creating the Next Generation of Low Carbon Hybrid Cements; University of Kentucky; $2,686,624

• Production of Amorphous Calcium Carbonate from Captured Cement Kiln Flue Gas CO₂ for Use as Supplementary Cementitious Material in a Low-Emissions Blended Cement; Calcify dba Carbon Capture Machine; $3,026,792

• Tailored Ultra-Low Carbon Concrete Enabled by Nanocarbon Additives Produced from Recycled Kiln CO₂; SkyNano; $3,450,295

• Towards Durable Carbon-Negative Concrete: Using Biochar to Replace Part of the Clinker and Fine Aggregate; Washington State University; $3,239,240

The projects are among 40 receiving grants totaling $135 million, primarily through the DOE Industrial Efficiency and Decarbonization Office. Department officials seek to support research, development, and pilot-scale demonstrations to reduce energy usage and emissions from high-emitting industrial subsectors and find widely applicable solutions. 

“America’s industrial sector serves as the engine of the U.S. economy, producing many of the products we rely on every day, but also produces a significant amount of the nation’s carbon emissions,” says DOE Secretary Jennifer Granholm. “These projects will slash industrial emissions and accelerate next-generation technologies for a clean energy future that’s made in America.” 

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