Australian company Mineral Carbonation International (MCi) has unveiled a semi-continuous research pilot plant where its team—in collaboration with researchers from the University of Newcastle in Australia and several other local institutions—plans to work on further developing a technology that uses the process of mineral carbonation to make building products. Intended as a transitional solution for countries that rely on carbon-intensive power generation, mineral carbonation is the process of capturing and compressing carbon dioxide emissions to transform it from gas to a stable solid material. According to a University of Newcastle press release, “Both carbonates and silica by-products have the potential to be used in building products such as concrete and plasterboard to create green construction materials.”
The AU$9.12 million (approximately $7.3 million) pilot plant is the product of 10 years of collaborative research. “We need solutions to climate change. We need technology that is ready and tested by the time we have solved the pricing of carbon in our economy,” said Marcus Dawe, CEO of MCi in Canberra, Australia. “Like [the] adoption of renewables in energy production, our technology aims to help decarbonise industries like cement, steel and chemical production.”
Though the technology is still in its pilot stages, MCi aims to make it commercially available to the masses. Learn more about the mineral carbonation process in the video below.