Based in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, CarbonCure Technologies is a cleantech company helping the concrete industry reduce its carbon footprint while also building a global network for permanent storage of captured carbon dioxide (CO2) in concrete to help stabilize our climate. CarbonCure has developed and deployed a portfolio of carbon removal technologies that mineralize captured CO2 in fresh concrete to make it greener without compromising performance.
CarbonCure was founded in 2012 at a time when the firm was building on their research to deliver its technologies. The firm turned to the National Research Council of Canada Industrial Research Assistance Program (NRC IRAP) and the advisory services of Industrial Technology Advisor (ITA), Jean Léger, who supported the founders with their idea of incorporating CO2 into concrete. To this end, Jean connected CarbonCure to the NRC's Construction Research Centre, which enabled the company to gain access to expertise and labs to explore methodologies to integrate CO2 into concrete. Together with the help of NRC Construction and NRC IRAP, CarbonCure succeeded in developing a system for using mineralized CO2 as an ingredient in the concrete making process.
Over the years, CarbonCure continued to receive advice and support from NRC IRAP through various research and development projects. One of these projects supported the hiring of new talent through NRC IRAP's Youth Employment Program. This proved to be a pivotal move for the company, enabling them to hire a new process analyst, Jennifer Wagner, who holds an MBA and a Master of Science in Analytical Chemistry. Jennifer had a clear passion to lead the charge to reduce the carbon footprint of the construction industry, so much so that she went on to become CarbonCure's President.
Today, with more than 550 systems sold across 25 countries, CarbonCure has applied its research and experience to scale a suite of solutions to reduce and remove more than 150,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide across the concrete manufacturing process, from the mixing of fresh concrete to the treatment of reclaimed water. These technologies have not only allowed the firm to stay top of its class, but they have also allowed CarbonCure's concrete producer partners to increase the sustainability of their product.
Recognized as an industry leader in the fight against CO2 emissions, CarbonCure has attracted the attention of private investors. In 2021, CarbonCure launched its Carbon Removal Credit Program with early buyers including Stripe and Shopify. In April 2022, CarbonCure announced a $30 million (USD) carbon credit purchase agreement with Invert and Ripple, which at the time was the largest purchase agreement for carbon credits to store CO2 through carbon mineralization.
CarbonCure's climate leadership has been recognized through several awards such as the Bloomberg New Energy Pioneers award in 2019. In 2021, CarbonCure won the COSIA Carbon XPRIZE Challenge for its ability to demonstrate breakthrough technologies to convert captured CO2 into usable products. In 2022, after 7 consecutive years on the Global Cleantech 100 list, it was inducted into the Global Cleantech Hall of Fame. In recognition of their important contributions to sustainable industry solutions, CarbonCure recently received the 2022 Governor General's Innovation Award (GGIA) for their work as a global leader in CO2 removal technologies.
"NRC IRAP's support was instrumental to our company's development from the start. From connecting us to the right expertise, to hiring on new talent and supporting the R&D of a wide range of sustainable concrete solutions, we are grateful to NRC IRAP for being an invaluable part of our early success."
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