Blue Planet Becomes Associate Corporate Member of WCA

The World Cement Association announced today it has further expanded its international network of members by welcoming Blue Planet as an Associate Corporate Member.

Blue Planet is a Silicon Valley company which has developed a novel carbon capture and utilisation system that permanently removes carbon dioxide from the air, cost effectively. Its technology uses CO₂ as a raw material for making carbonate rocks which are used in place of natural limestone rock mined from quarries, which is the principal component of concrete. Then CO₂ from flue gas is converted to carbonate by contacting CO₂ containing gas with a water-based capture solutions.

This process differentiates Blue Planet from most carbon capture methods as the captured CO₂ does not require a purification step, which is an energy and capital intensive process.

“With cement being the source of roughly 7% of global carbon dioxide emissions, and current technologies unable to achieve the levels of decarbonisation needed to meet the Paris climate goals, it is vital for our members to be engaging with innovative technology providers developing scalable commercial solutions for CO₂ mitigation,” said Ian Riley, CEO at WCA. “By bringing the latest technologies and best practice to the attention of our industry members, we increase the chance of evolving a sustainable cement ecosystem. I am therefore especially pleased to be welcoming Blue Planet, and look forward to their input on improving industry standards worldwide.

Blue Planet has been involved in several major projects including at San Francisco International Airport, where its limestone-coated lightweight aggregate was used in concrete mixes.

“Blue Planet was launched specifically to mitigate global CO2 emissions by transforming it into synthetic limestone aggregate for use in concrete, so our mission is very closely aligned with WCA’s efforts in the climate change arena,” said Brent Constantz, Founder & Chief Executive Officer at Blue Planet. “We have been impressed with WCA’s work towards decarbonisation and the quality of its member support and engagement programmes, so we are very much looking forward to collaborating on our shared goals.”