Carbon Upcycling's proprietary solution infuses carbon into a grinding process for industrial residues, such as slag and fly ashes, to produce a more reactive supplementary cementitious material. These materials can then be used to replace clinker in cement production.
"Our investment in Carbon Upcycling allows us to leverage the utilisation of CO2 in building materials and transform industrial residue into sustainable building material resources. This is another step in our roadmap to decarbonise the cement production process and achieve carbon neutrality by 2050," said Gonzalo Galindo, head of CEMEX Ventures. "We continue expanding our green construction investment portfolio and looking for new technologies to create a more sustainable industry."
The production of clinker, the main component of cement, is the most carbon-intensive part of the cement manufacturing process. The addition of clinker substitutes without compromising the strength attributes of cement is a critical challenge to the industry's decarbonisation effort in the short term.
This investment will facilitate the continued development and scaling of Carbon Upcycling's technology and business roadmap to reduce reliance on clinker in cement production. The investment will also fund the rollout of its commercial carbon utilisation solution across cement facilities in North America, Europe, and Asia.
CEMEX and Carbon Upcycling, a Canadian startup and global leader in developing carbon utilisation and grinding technologies for the cement industry, have worked together since 2020 as part of CEMEX's Future in Action program. The companies agree to test and scale up the startup's technology in CEMEX's R&D facilities and develop industrial-scale projects across cement and ready-mix operations.
"We are grateful for CEMEX's continued support in our journey towards decarbonising the cement industry," said Apoorv Sinha, CEO of Carbon Upcycling. "We are well on our way to becoming the most impactful carbon utilisation company of this decade, and we are thrilled to have CEMEX and other investors on board with us."
The Future in Action program focuses on reducing the carbon footprint of CEMEX's operations and products to become a net-zero CO2 company by 2050. Through CEMEX Ventures, the company is discovering and investing in companies that will provide proven, scalable technologies to achieve carbon neutrality.
