Although concrete is common building material that's readily available and easy to use, the environmental impact it generates is a costly one, specifically with regards to how it is manufactured. Estimates indicate that every pound of cement produces one pound of CO2 emissions, for example, a fact that has caused a great deal of debate within architecture and design circles. With a growing number of initiatives taking shape within the architecture and construction industries aimed at implementing better building practices that mitigate carbon emissions, one company is moving to tackle this issue head-on by embedding CO2 directly within concrete itself. 

Founded in 2017 by Rob Niven, CarbonCure aims to create a scalable technology that could reduce the carbon footprint left behind by the highly lucrative concrete industry. According to the company, after attending a United Nations Summit on Climate Change in 2007, Niven realized that there existed an unmet global demand for developing a solution to help reduce the carbon emissions of concrete. 

During his time at McGill University, where he received his Masters in Engineering, Niven studied the benefits of introducing CO2 into fresh concrete by turning the gas into a solid aggregate, a research focus that helped him get to work creating the company.

Niven shares on his site, "The scientific community understands that CO2 can be chemically converted to a mineral within concrete. So why can’t we find a way to use CO2 in every-day concrete, and help concrete producers respond to the demand for green building products?" 

CNN’s 2018 follow-up video of new footage of the LinkedIn headquarters being built with CarbonCure concrete supplied by Central Concrete.Video courtesy of CNN.com

Now considered a world leader in the utilization of CO2 within the concrete and cement industries, Niven and his team are changing the possibilities of concrete manufacturing and practice one pour at a time.