Heirloom Carbon, Central Concrete prove DAC-sourced CO2 sequestration
Sources: Heirloom Carbon Technologies, Brisbane, Calif.; CMCM staff
Heirloom Carbon Technologies, northern California developer and operator of the premier Direct Air Capture (DAC) assembly in the U.S., teamed with CarbonCure Technologies and Central Concrete Supply Co. for a first in ready mixed concrete production: Permanent storage of DAC-derived atmospheric carbon dioxide gas.
A February 1 demonstration at the Central Concrete flagship operation in San Jose, Calif. saw CO2 from Heirloom’s nearby DAC installation injected in a reclaimed process water tank piped to the batch plant for a load of ready mixed concrete. The injection triggered calcium carbonate formation/mineralization, assuring storage of the compound in hardened concrete. Nova Scotia-based CarbonCure Technologies developed the process water tank as an extension of the liquified-CO2 injection systems it has proved with more than 100 North American concrete producers during the past decade.
DIRECT AIR CARBON DIOXIDE CAPTURE
Heirloom Carbon Technologies uses finely graded limestone to pull CO2 from the air. Harnessing a cyclic process, the limestone is broken down into calcium oxide rock and CO2 gas using heat from a renewable-energy powered, electric kiln. Spread onto vertically stacked trays, the calcium oxide acts like a sponge, pulling CO2 from the air before it is returned to the kiln to repeat the loop.
“This project is a global milestone for carbon removal technology that confirms concrete’s enormous potential as a climate solution that can permanently store carbon in our most essential infrastructure—from roads and runways to hospitals and housing,” says CarbonCure Technologies CEO Robert Niven.
“In order to reach climate goals we must remove billions of tons of already emitted carbon dioxide from the atmosphere each year,” adds Heirloom CEO Shashank Samala. “This is an important step toward that future and shows the promise of DAC technologies combined with smart, permanent methods of sequestration.”
The Direct Air Capture application at Central Concrete Supply is a significant step forward in permanent atmospheric carbon dioxide removal, Heirloom Carbon Technologies contends.
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