The U.S. Department of Energy Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy (ARPA-E) has awarded Queens Carbon $14.5 million to help fund a pilot supplementary cementitious materials facility engineered for 10 metric tons/day output and built at an existing portland cement operation. Applying hydrothermal technology, the Pine Brook, N.J. startup company crystallizes carbonate mineral feedstocks into Q-SCM binder, which exhibits potential for 20-50 percent replacement of portland cement in concrete mix designs. The Q-SCM process occurs at about half the 1,450°C level required for portland cement clinker, enabling Queens Carbon to deploy renewable energy versus fossil fuel sources. Beyond the temperature factor, the hydrothermal technology allows for full capture of carbon dioxide released during carbonate mineral transformation.
“Through SCALEUP, Queens Carbon will build on prior work funded by ARPA-E and develop an integrated facility at an existing cement production site to produce carbon-neutral materials in support of decarbonizing cement production,” says ARPA-E Director Evelyn Wang. The project grant stems from the ARPA-E Seeding Critical Advances for Leading Energy technologies with Untapped Potential (SCALEUP) program, which supports the scaling of disruptive new technologies across the full spectrum of energy and industrial applications, she notes.
“The SCALEUP grant is a tremendous step forward on our path to commercialization,” adds Queens Carbon CEO Daniel Kopp. “Partnering with ARPA-E and a major cement industry player to deploy, operate, and optimize our pilot plant will put us on an accelerated path to gigatonne-scale CO2 reductions.”
Queens Carbon is backed by Breakthrough Energy Ventures of Redmond, Wash., whose other investments include Brimstone, Rondo Energy, Solidia Technologies and Terra CO2 Technology Holdings—each targeting materials or processes lowering the carbon dioxide emissions attending finished concrete.
CALPORTLAND LICENSES SOLIDIA IP
Texas-based Solidia Technologies has entered a patent licensing and asset sale agreement providing CalPortland Co. new material or process options in its pursuit of lower carbon dioxide emissions attending cement and concrete deliveries in Western U.S. markets. Solidia’s namesake cement gains strength through CO2 exposure versus the portland cement hydration mechanism. In addition to imparting carbonation characteristics in concrete, the branded material achieves significant CO2 emissions reduction when measured against portland cement due to lower production temperatures and reduced limestone calcination.
“We continue to focus on decarbonization opportunities that lead to meaningful and innovative carbon reduction for the cement and concrete industries,” says CalPortland Chief Operating Officer Bill Mullen. “Our Carbon Reduction Team has worked diligently with Solidia Technologies to enter into this licensing agreement and asset purchase that will help us achieve our sustainability goals.”
“CalPortland’s unwavering commitment to decarbonization of the cement and concrete industries makes it a great partner for continuing the vast development and research advanced by Solidia for more than a decade,” affirms Solidia Technologies CEO Russell Hill. Following the CalPortland agreement, he adds, the company expects to continue to work with licensing partners to provide low carbon solutions embodied in more than 300 patents or patent applications across the globe.