Manufacturing Efficiency

Harvard University (Harvard) aims to advance nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) techniques for CO2 reactive rocks to better determine carbonation potential and storage capacity by quantifying CO2 pore filling saturation based on pore size distribution and in-situ wettability. Mineralization reactions occur only in pores occupied by CO2; thus, understanding CO2 transport and distribution in rock porosities is key to efficient mineralization and sequestration.

Johns Hopkins University (JHU) will develop sustainable mining of critical elements from gangue minerals. The concept is based on the electrosynthesis of hydrochloric acid or HCl and base (sodium hydroxide or NaOH) via salt splitting and using renewable electricity as the power source. JHU will use the produced HCl to leach targeted metals from low-grade minerals and NaOH to react with CO2 and generate sodium carbonate (Na2CO3).

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and partners will use bio-derived supplementary cementitious materials and concrete additives generated from low-value byproducts created during sustainable aviation fuel production to develop a carbon-negative, thermally insulating concrete. The team proposes that activated carbon, aerogels, and ash produced from biomass processing, as well as supplemental CO2 adsorption to these materials, can replace a large portion of ordinary portland cement in common concrete ready mix.

Oregon State University will develop C3, a cellulose cement composite, for use in residential and light commercial construction as an alternative to dimensional lumber and sheet products. C3 consists of cellulose excelsior (wood wool), cellulose nano material (CNM), and low carbon cement binders. The team will create C3 from small-diameter logs and branches that are unsuitable for lumber production. Removing small diameter wood from the forest as a potential fuel source can help lessen wildfires.

Columbia University (Columbia) will use innovative processes to enable increased domestic production of energy-relevant metals from CO2-reactive minerals at potentially lower costs than the state of the art. The work will focus on feedstocks from the Tamarack Project, leading to domestic production of nickel, copper, and cobalt and smaller amounts of platinum, palladium, and gold. Activities will leverage Columbia’s hydrometallurgical leach technologies for these minerals.

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) will develop a cost-effective, easy-to-fabricate bio-based insulation from celium (a cellulose-mycelium composite) to reduce the embodied and operational CO2 footprint of new and retrofitted residential housing. NREL will create celium by valorizing cellulose with mycelium, the root network of fungi, to create a new class of high-performing, carbon-capturing and -storing textiles, foams, and composites. The team will fabricate a net CO2 negative celium material with high-performance thermal, acoustic, and antimicrobial properties.

Purdue University will harness microbial activities to reinforce the load-bearing structure of wood to the strength of steel, increase its fire resistance and lifetime, and lower technological barriers to manufacturing uniform wood composite materials. The “living wood” has a self-healing capability that breathes in CO2 and produces biomaterials to fill up and bond possible cracks. The process is intrinsically scalable and cost-effective due to the bulk treatment of wood and exponential manufacturing of microbes.

The University of Colorado Boulder will manufacture and commercialize a net-CO2-storing portland limestone cement using biogenic limestone (CaCO3) produced via photosynthesis that will store more than 275 kgCO2 and cost less than $100 per ton of cement. Most cement-related CO2 emissions are caused by heating CaCO3 to produce calcium oxide (quicklime), which releases CO2 in the process. The proposed technology will produce biogenic CaCO3 using calcifying microalgae that sequester and store CO2 in mineral form through biological direct air capture via photosynthesis and calcification.

Rio Tinto Services will collaborate with Columbia University, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Talon Nickel, Carbfix, and Advantek Waste Management Solutions to develop innovative technologies to potentially sequester CO2 based on the characterization, determination of reaction kinetics, and modeling of the Tamarack Nickel Project’s bowl-shaped ultramafic intrusion. This sequestration would be achieved via the conversion of CO2 into solid rock.

The University of Wisconsin-Madison will produce carbon-negative concrete building components using cementitious materials generated by a carbon mineralization-based direct air capture (DAC) process. The DAC process uses a novel aqueous carbonation cycle to capture CO2 from the air at low cost. Simultaneously, the process upcycles industrial mineral wastes as cementitious materials by enhancing their pozzolanic reactivity (i.e. ability to form minerals that contribute to strength).