Carbon capture and conversion project aims to turn CO2 into building materials

Greenhouse gas emissions could be converted into valuable products such as building materials, following the creation of a spin-out company to commercialise carbon capture and conversion technology.

The new company, called CCM, aims to commercialise technology developed by researchers at the University of Aberdeen. The technology is capable of converting carbon dioxide emissions into carbonates for use in products such as plastics, adhesives, cements, concretes and other construction materials, according to Dr Mohammed Imbabi from the university’s School of Engineering, who is leading the project.

“If you’re trying to deal with global CO2 emissions approaching 40 gigatonnes per annum, you need a sink in which to put these emissions that is big enough to accommodate them, and the construction industry is probably one of the few that can do that,” said Imbabi.

The technology dissolves the CO2 in dilute alkali, converting it into carbonate ions. The carbonate solution is then reacted with either calcium or magnesium brines to produce Precipitated Calcium Carbonate (PCC) or Precipitated Magnesium Carbonate (PMC).