Carbon-catching concrete: Paebbl’s CO₂ mineralisation explained for engineers
Reviewed by Tom Sullivan
First reported on The Construction Index
30 Second Briefing
Nordic–Dutch startup Paebbl is producing an olivine-based cement substitute via accelerated CO2 mineralisation in low-energy reactors, claiming a net negative footprint of –14.4kg CO2‑equivalent per tonne (cradle-to-gate) and storage of about 21kg CO2 per m³ of concrete at typical replacement rates. The material has moved from gramme-scale tests to an operational pilot in 18 months and has already been used in a Rotterdam quay wall grout by Hakkers, the 1917 Veerhuis restoration, and a 7m-span “carbon-neutral” concrete footbridge by Heijmans. Classified as CCUS, the process permanently binds captured industrial CO2 into stable carbonate minerals that remain locked in even after demolition, offering structural-grade, carbon-storing concrete mixes rather than purely low-embodied-carbon variants.
Technical Brief
- Process uses crushed magnesium silicate olivine, water, CO2 and chemical catalysts in a dedicated reactor.
- Mineralisation mimics natural rock weathering but is accelerated from geological timescales to a few hours.
- Unlike slag or PFA blends, feedstock is not a by-product of prior high-emission industrial processes.
- Technology is designed to avoid high-temperature, high-pressure or intensive grinding typical of conventional carbonation.
- CO2 source is industrial emissions, classifying the route as carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS).
- Carbon is locked as stable carbonate minerals at lowest energy state, remaining bound even after demolition.
- Structural applicability has been demonstrated in a 7 m-span concrete footbridge using recycled aggregate and biochar.
- Hakkers trial used Paebbl in anchor grout for a new Rotterdam quay wall in April 2025.
- Restoration of the 1917 Veerhuis in Rotterdam used Paebbl-based concrete in heritage masonry works.
- For future infrastructure, CCUS-derived binders offer a route to address the 40–50% “process” emissions from calcination.
Our Take
Moving from gramme-scale to a pilot unit in 18 months is at the fast end of what our database shows for new cementitious products, suggesting that regulators and clients in the Netherlands and Sweden are currently more willing than most jurisdictions to host early-stage, performance-tested low-clinker materials on live projects.
Prepared by collating external sources, AI-assisted tools, and Geomechanics.io’s proprietary mining database, then reviewed for technical accuracy & edited by our geotechnical team.
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