Carbon Upcycling Awarded £2.3 Million to Manufacture Climate-Resilient Cement Alternative from Waste Glass and co₂

 

London, UK – June 23, 2022 – Carbon Upcycling Technologies (Carbon Upcycling), a carbon utilization company that produces co₂-enhanced cement and concrete additives, announced today that it has been awarded £2.3 Million in funding from UK Research and Innovation’s (UKRI). This will be the world’s first commercial-scale concrete additive plant that combines co₂ sequestration and waste glass, and Carbon Upcycling’s first project in Europe.

The commercial pilot will sequester up to five tonnes of co₂ emissions per day produced from a post-consumer glass recycling facility while simultaneously utilizing 50 tonnes of colored glass waste. The pilot plant will produce and sell a co₂-enhanced additive for use in the local cement industry. The project will eliminate approximately 16,500 tonnes of local crushed glass from entering landfills, sequester approximately 1,600 tonnes of carbon dioxide that would otherwise reach the atmosphere, and will reduce over 15,000 tonnes of carbon emissions on a lifecycle basis through cement abatement.

This funding will support a consortium, led by Carbon Upcycling, including CEMEX, Glass Technology Services, Matthew Demon, President of British Glass (MKD32), and others in the glass and cement industries.

“We are committed to leading efforts that support the decarbonization of the cement sector by combining our extensive industry knowledge with the most promising and innovative solutions” expressed CEMEX Quote. “At CEMEX, we aim to reach net-zero by 2050 and this project with Carbon Upcycling is an important milestone towards utilizing captured carbon to help achieve this goal. This project will help us to double the industry’s use of cement replacements by 2030 and allow CEMEX to participate in a circular economy project.”

Carbon Upcycling will utilize its patented carbon utilization process to activate post-consumer colored glass fines. “Generally, this waste from glass is difficult to recycle cost-effectively,” said Glass Technology Services Quote. “Sequestering co₂ emissions and producing high-performance supplementary cementitious materials for use in low-carbon concrete and blended cements will create a new generation of climate-resilient materials for infrastructure.”

“The commencement of the glass valorization and low carbon cement project is a big milestone for Carbon Upcycling in our journey towards real-world impact. By creating a valuable product from one of the toughest waste streams in the glass industry, and using cement flue gas directly in its process, Carbon Upcycling will provide the UK market with a low-cost, low-carbon alternative to imported cementitious materials,” said Apoorv Sinha, CEO of Carbon Upcycling Technologies. “This project is fundamentally aligned with Carbon Upcycling’s vision of a truly circular carbon economy and is one of a handful of exciting projects highlighting the versatility of our technology and the ambitions of our organization.”

 

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The challenge fund

The challenge fund brings together the UK’s world-leading research with business to meet the major industrial and societal challenges of our time. It provides funding and support to UK businesses and researchers, part of the greatest single increase in UK science and innovation funding for over 40 years. The fund is backed by £2.6 billion of public money, with £3 billion in matched funding from the private sector. It is run by UK Research and Innovation, which comprises the Research Councils, Innovate UK and Research England.

 

About UK Research and Innovation

UKRI works with the government to invest over £7 billion a year in research and innovation by partnering with academia and industry to make the impossible possible. Through the UK’s nine leading academic and industrial funding councils, UKRI creates knowledge with impact. For more information, please visit: www.ukri.org.

 

About Carbon Upcycling Technologies

Carbon Upcycling and its subsidiary Carbon Upcycling Technologies UK is a waste and carbon utilization company unlocking a new frontier of circular materials. We combine CO₂ with local industrial byproducts and natural materials to improve the performance of cement and plastics, some of the most widely used materials on the planet. Learn more about our global solution at carbonupcycling.com.

 

About CEMEX

CEMEX is a global construction materials company that is building a better future through sustainable products and solutions. CEMEX is committed to achieving carbon neutrality through relentless innovation and industry-leading research and development. CEMEX is at the forefront of the circular economy in the construction value chain and is pioneering ways to increase the use of waste and residues as alternative raw materials and fuels in its operations with the use of new technologies. CEMEX offers cement, ready-mix concrete, aggregates, and urbanization solutions in growing markets around the world, powered by a multinational workforce focused on providing a superior customer experience, enabled by digital technologies. For more information, please visit: www.cemex.com