In 2021, at COP26, it was announced that Concrete4Change (C4C) Ltd had won the Achieving net zero category of the Climate Change Cup. C4C is developing technology that enables concrete to retain carbon rather than produce and emit it. The company, founded by Dr Sid Pourfalah, uses a carrier to permanently mineralise CO2 and increase the strength of concrete in the process. Concrete currently accounts for 8% of global CO2 emissions and it is estimated that C4C’s innovation could reduce concrete’s carbon footprint and make it 20% cheaper
Sid is a concrete specialist and has been developing C4C’s carbon sequestration technology for 22 years. He has been working on the loading, transfer and reaction methodology to enhance concrete’s ability to permanently store carbon. In his patented process, CO2 chemically reacts with concrete so that calcium hydroxide converts to calcium carbonate. This would occur naturally but could take a century to happen. The new mineralising technology means that it occurs within days.
The storage of CO2 strengthens the concrete meaning that less cement is needed to produce equivalent-strength concrete. It is calculated that 5% of CO2 is sequestrated during the process and a further 15% is mitigated owing to the reduced amount of cement that would be needed in building projects.
Sid joined the Regional Talent Engines programme in 2022. He says: “The access to the mentoring and workshops will allow the C4C team to think through the technology development and commercial scale-up journey. This will be important for anticipating risks and de-risking the go-to-market approach.”
The C4C technology has successfully completed its proof-of-concept stage and is now in its technology-validation phase. C4C is looking to trial the technology with construction companies and concrete manufacturers in order to build up evidence of its effectiveness. This will create confidence in the market and enable it to pass the necessary regulatory approvals.
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