Injecting CO2 into curing concrete converts a greenhouse gas into solid mineral, strengthening the material while sequestering carbon for good.
Ca(OH)2 + CO2 -> CaCO3 + H2O
sequestered_CO2 ~ mass(CaCO3)
- CO2 injected — CO2 gas pumped into the curing chamber during concrete setting.
- Aggregate sites — calcium-rich aggregate surface sites available for carbonation.
- Mineralization affinity — how readily CO2 reacts with an available calcium site on contact.
- Curing rate — how quickly a reacted site fully solidifies into stable calcium carbonate.
CO2-cured concrete (as produced by companies like CarbonCure) permanently locks captured CO2 into the building itself rather than requiring separate geological storage.