The funds will be used to implement and optimize an advanced manufacturing process for the production of the world’s first commercially-available carbon-negative concrete blocks
Montreal, May 26, 2022 – CarbiCrete has announced that NGen – Canada’s Advanced Manufacturing Supercluster – will provide $3.4 million in Supercluster funding to support an $8 million project led by CarbiCrete, with partners Patio Drummond and Innovobot Labs, to implement and optimize CarbiCrete’s carbon-negative concrete manufacturing process at industrial scale.
“The world uses billions of tonnes of concrete every year, accounting for 8% of global emissions,” said the Honourable François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry. “Canada is a leader in the effort to decarbonize cement, and innovators like CarbiCrete are developing clean tech breakthroughs that will have a truly global impact. We are proud to support innovators like CarbiCrete as they deliver environmentally conscious solutions in a growing global market.”
CarbiCrete’s process for the production of precast concrete replaces cement in concrete with industrial by-products and cures it with carbon dioxide, avoiding the GHG emissions associated with cement production, while permanently sequestering CO2 within the resulting concrete products. For every tonne of concrete produced using this process, 150 kg of CO2 are abated/removed.
CarbiCrete’s CEO, Chris Stern, says that the NGen funding will help establish an industrial-scale, advanced manufacturing process that will set the foundation for CarbiCrete’s commercial manufacturing model.
“Once this process is optimized, it will position Canada as the undisputed world leader in sustainable concrete,” says Stern. “Making a global impact on reducing embodied carbon in the built environment will require a host of complementary solutions, but there is no single process that is more effective than CarbiCrete’s when it comes to abating and removing CO2 in concrete production.”
The industrial implementation of CarbiCrete’s advanced manufacturing process will occur at hardscape manufacturer Patio Drummond’s precast facility in Drummondville, Quebec and will yield the world’s first commercially-available carbon-negative concrete blocks. Patio Drummond Co-Owner, Philipe Girardin has indicated that he intends to convert his entire line-up of drycast products to CarbiCrete technology.
“We know that customers are looking for sustainable building materials, and we want to be the first ones to offer a carbon-negative concrete product.” says Girardin.
Project partner Innovobot Labs will be building a software platform to collect data for production validation, tracking, analysis, and optimization.
“We are thrilled about Innovobot Labs’ collaboration with CarbiCrete”, says Fadi Albatal, President of Innovobot Labs. “This project is a clear demonstration of the Innovobot Labs model. We are building a true open innovation partnership with CarbiCrete. We are developing a technology and intellectual property together and sharing the risk as much as the reward. This is how we create real value.”
In August of 2021, CarbiCrete sold a portion of the abatement and removal credits that will be generated by this initial production run to Spin, the micromobility subsidiary of Ford Motor Company.
CarbiCrete recently announced that it had closed a $23.5M Series A financing round led by FS Investors, a private investment entity based in La Jolla, California. Other investors in this round included Arc Energy Fund 9, the Fonds de solidarité des travailleurs du Québec, Fondaction, MKB Partners, Saint-Gobain Ceramics and Plastics, Aera Investments, New Climate Ventures, Something Good Ventures and Innovobot.
About CarbiCrete
CarbiCrete is a Montreal-based carbon removal technology company developing innovative, low-cost building solutions that reduce greenhouse gas emissions. CarbiCrete’s patented technology enables the production of cement-free, carbon-negative concrete made with industrial by-products and captured carbon dioxide. For every ton of concrete produced using the CarbiCrete process, 150 kg of CO2 are abated/removed. CarbiCrete was named to the Cleantech Group’s Cleantech Global 100 list for the second time in January 2022. Carbicrete.com
About NGen
NGen is the industry-led, not-for-profit organization that leads Canada’s Advanced Manufacturing Supercluster. Its mandate is to help build world-leading advanced manufacturing capabilities in Canada for the benefit of Canadians. NGen works to strengthen collaboration among its membership of more than 4,500 manufacturers, technology companies, innovation centres, and researchers, and provides funding and business support to industry-led initiatives that aim to develop, apply, or scale-up transformative manufacturing solutions in Canada for commercialization in global markets. ngen.ca
Media Contact:
CarbiCrete
Yuri Mytko
Chief Marketing Officer
514-927-9874