Neustark, a Switzerland-based carbon removal specialist, and UK-based building materials supplier, Aggregate Industries, are introducing a new technology that permanently removes carbon from the atmosphere and locks it into recycled concrete.
The first site has entered operation in Greenwich, London and will now permanently remove tonne by tonne of CO2 in the coming months and support building projects in the local area, according to Neustark.
The site will be able to permanently store and remove 1,000 tonnes of CO2 (net) per year.
This is the equivalent of the carbon sequestered by over 16,000 tree seedlings grown for 10 years, added the organisation.
This is the first venture into the UK market for the Swiss cleantech start-up, which has already established 19 carbon capture and storage sites deployed in Europe to date.
The site is one of the first commercially and ecologically viable solutions for permanent, onshore carbon removal in the UK.
Neustark’s technology and business model captures CO2 from biomass sites, liquefies it, then injects it into existing mineral waste streams such as demolished materials to be recycled and used in construction.
This utilises a process of mineralisation that stores the CO2 in the aggregate, permanently removing it from the atmosphere and creating carbonated, recycled building materials such as concrete.
The building and construction industry was estimated to account for 37% of global carbon emissions, 7% coming from the production of cement alone. This is according to a 2023 report published by the United Nations Environment Project (UNEP).
While there have been efforts from the industry to decarbonise, the UK Green Building Council warned that the UK construction industry was ‘significantly off-track’ on its net zero goals at the end of last year indicating that decarbonisation rates would need to double in the coming years.
Valentin Gutknecht, CEO and co-founder, neustark, said: “We have already deployed 19 sites in Central Europe that capture and remove thousands of tons of CO2. By extending our relationship with Holcim and partnering with Aggregate Industries, we are now bringing this revolutionary technology to the UK.”
“The UK is an ideal market for us as it has a mature supply chain and the infrastructure we need to remove CO2 at scale. The government is supportive of building a competitive carbon market and shifting the industry away from early-stage developments to a competitive commercial set-up.
“But there is not enough focus on carbon removal, or consideration of how carbon removal can be embedded into existing supply chains and industries beyond oil and gas rather than always requiring extensive new infrastructure. This partnership is proof that collaboration between a cleantech start-up and global leader in building solutions can create tangible climate impact today. The rest of the construction industry should follow suit and we need to look at other applicable industries too.”