US-based low-carbon concrete startup CarbonBuilt aims to revolutionize the industry through its climate-friendly concrete, Bloomberg reported last week. The three-year-old startup, along with concrete masonry production partner Blair Block, kicked off commercial production for its technology, which it claims can slash carbon emissions during the lifecycle of concrete by 70% to 100%. The low-carbon concrete costs the same to produce as traditional concrete.

How it works: The technology sees most of the cement in concrete replaced with a proprietary mix of locally sourced, low-carbon material and then channeling carbon into the curing chamber to brace the blocks, according to Bloomberg. This allows carbon to be permanently stored in solid form. CarbonBuilt says such a converted production line will help avert at least 2k metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions annually. The startup’s plant will also remove over 500 metric tons of CO2 from the air per year.

But what about the region? Some companies in the region are supplying cement that emits significantly less CO2, yet the market uptake remains low. Among them is market heavyweight Lafarge, which has been trying to promote the use of its low-carbon concrete ECOPact. Last year, the ECOPart green concrete used by a UAE contractor helped slash CO2 emissions by 45%.

REMEMBER- Efforts to decarbonize concrete, which is the most heavily used construction material globally, have been slow until recently. Solutions to decarbonize the industrycurrently range from either costly carbon-negative technologies to lower-cost alternatives that provide limited emission curbs.

Toyota cautions against a quick transition to EVs: Toyota Research Institute CEO Gill Pratt told reporters that a full transition to EVs would not be practical for most consumers, and called for the use of both gas-fueled cars and a mix of hybrid, fuel cell, and all-electric cars, Bloomberg reported on Thursday. Limited battery materials, EV production components, and renewables assets at the moment hinder a full transition to EVs, Pratt argued. Toyota aims to sell some 200k all-electric vehicles in 2023, as part of its wider goal of selling 1.5 mn EVs annually by 2026, and to bring 10 new battery EV models to market. The company has been pushing back against criticism that it is lagging behind in EV production, arguing that its gasoline-electric hybrids make more sense for its global customer base.

OTHER STORIES WORTH KNOWING ABOUT THIS MORNING-

  • Over half of the world’s largest lakes and reservoirs have dried up since the 1990s on the back of climate change. Some of the world’s most important freshwater sources lost water at a total rate of around 22 gigatons per year for nearly three decades. (Reuters)
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