Brooklyn-based Glenwood Mason Supply Company Inc., a concrete masonry unit producer equipped to deploy CarbonCure Technologies’ carbon dioxide mineralizing process, will source “Sustainable CO” extracted from New York City apartment buildings’ mechanical system flue exhaust. After a 2022 pilot installation at The Grand Tier (1930 Broadway), Glenwood Property Management (unaffiliated with the producer) plans Q1 deployment of modular CarbonQuest Building Carbon Capture Systems at five additional Manhattan towers. In urban setting terms, the firm is poised to harbor the first large-scale installation of equipment capturing CO2 from buildings prior to emitting into the atmosphere.
CarbonQuest engineers collection, separation and storage assemblies to isolate and liquify high purity CO2 from commercial building mechanicals. Stored in high pressure, portable tanks, the compound is then transferred to Glenwood Supply or other prospective “off takers.” Like other CarbonCure partners in concrete masonry or ready mixed concrete, Glenwood Supply’s Superior Block Corp. business injects CO2 in fresh mixes, where the compound mineralizes for permanent sequestration and contributes to compressive strength development and other engineering properties. At normal dosing, the process consumes 0.5 kg of CO2 in 30 standard (8- x 16-in.) CMU.
Superior Block’s use of CarbonQuest Sustainable CO2 advances the Glenwood Green Initiative, a vehicle for promoting specifications and building solutions of lower carbon footprint than conventional materials and methods. Glenwood Mason Supply and Superior Block team members can assist design professionals and their clients with carbon accounting, Environmental Product Declaration submittals, and tailoring specifications to LEED v4.1 rating point criteria. They can also help customers abide the requirements of New York Local Law 97, whose 2024 and 2030 phases stipulate greenhouse gas emissions limits and tight energy efficiency guidelines for most New York City buildings exceeding 25,000 square feet.
“Federal and city legislation are both incentivizing technology that can drive emissions reduction at a building level,” says Glenwood Management Senior Vice President Josh London. “With the success of our first CarbonQuest system, we are excited to roll out the technology to more of our portfolio, leveraging carbon capture alongside other technologies to reduce our emissions and gain compliance with local regulations.”
CarbonQuest’s systems position Glenwood Property Management to prevent thousands of tons of building CO2 emissions annually. The Building Carbon Capture System technology is particularly timely in light of Local Law 97 CO2 emissions penalties for commercial properties. Based on current carbon emissions metrics, the Glenwood properties would incur roughly $7 million in penalties through 2029, followed by $15 million from 2030 to 2034. The CarbonQuest installations stand to eliminate such levies entirely.
“CarbonQuest is the only cost-effective, nondisruptive solution offering an immediate pathway to meaningful building decarbonization, and we view this expanded partnership with Glenwood Management as a testament to the instant value realized through our pilot project,” observes CarbonQuest Chief Operating Officer Brian Asparro. “With New York City’s building emission penalties set to go into effect next year, property owners are looking for innovative ways to decarbonize. And while improving energy efficiency is part of the equation, capturing carbon before it is emitted is also a critical part of the path to decarbonization.”
Beyond its potential to deliver building owners significant value, he adds, the CarbonQuest system holds potential to dramatically increase global “point-source” carbon capture capacity. Point-source devices have traditionally been used exclusively at power plants or other large industrial facilities that benefit from an abundance of space, absence of tenant activity, and often, significant capital to dedicate to energy and carbon reduction. CarbonQuest is elevating the building decarbonization landscape, fostering opportunities for emissions reduction from property owners of any sizable commercial, residential or institutional building, thereby dramatically expanding the potential environmental impact of the technology.