Finding innovative solutions to modern problems of hard-to-abate heavy industry emissions is a major goal of many recently founded startups. At CarbiCrete, we’ve been working to solve the problem of emissions in the concrete industry—8% of all annual global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions—for ten years. In that time, we’ve made real progress toward changing the face of construction and sustainability around the world.
CarbiCrete was born out of co-founder Mehrdad Mahoutian’s PhD studies at McGill University, where he examined the possibility of using steel slag, a byproduct of the industrial steelmaking process, to replace cement as a binding agent in concrete products.
He found that curing the steel slag-based concrete in a CO2-rich environment would yield similar mechanical and durability properties to conventional cement-based concrete products while significantly lowering emissions.
Mahoutian partnered with Chris Stern, a clean technology entrepreneur, as well as Yuri Mytko and Mario Vendetti, to incorporate under the name CarbiCrete in 2016. From there, R&D work began in Montreal to provide tangible prototypes tested in laboratory conditions.
In 2018, CarbiCrete was selected as a finalist in the Carbon XPRIZE, an international competition to find valuable uses for CO2. CarbiCrete expanded its facilities to its current headquarters and laboratory in Lachine, Quebec, and selected Drummondville-based Patio Drummond to be its first industrial partner.
Alongside Patio Drummond, CarbiCrete worked to scale up its process to industrial level with funding from Series A investors, as well as support from a variety of public entities including, Innovative Solutions Canada (ISC), Next Generation Manufacturing Canada (NGen, Sustainable Development Technology Canada (SDTC), Énergie et Ressources naturelles Québec, and Transition énergétique Québec (TEQ). In only six years, CarbiCrete products went from lab prototype to commercially available.
After successfully commercializing cement-free concrete masonry units (CMUs) at Patio Drummond and tripling their capacity with additional support from Next Generation Manufacturing (NGen) Canada, CarbiCrete worked to optimize and expand its technology. This came in the form of new product and process development, and the signing of new clients.
CarbiCrete’s product line has expanded from only CMUs to include hardscape products like paving stones, grid pavers, deck blocks and slabs. Additionally, CarbiCrete partnered with another innovative Quebec company, Isobloc, to introduce Isobloc ZÉRO, an insulated masonry block made with CarbiCrete’s cement-free concrete. CarbiCrete has also expanded to new geographies with partners like Canal Block in Ontario and POINT.P, a Saint-Gobain brand, in France.
As CarbiCrete prepares for the next chapter of expansion and innovation, it is eye-opening to reflect on the leaps and bounds this decarbonization technology has made since its start. With continued progress, CarbiCrete will grow its impact on the global construction industry. We’re looking forward to the next ten years!
