Blue Planet & Chevron Tackle Construction Carbon Challenge
The construction industry is responsible for 38% of global CO₂ emissions, according to recent data. It is also the largest consumer of raw materials globally, using an estimated 50% of all extracted resources.
Quarrying for aggregate, the primary component in concrete and other building materials, is the world's largest extractive industry. This process often leads to the destruction of farmland and natural habitats. Additionally, the construction and demolition sector generates more waste than any other industry.
Blue Planet Solutions, a California-based company founded in 2013, is attempting to address these environmental concerns. The firm, which has received backing from major corporations such as Chevron, Mitsubishi, and Holcim, aims to produce more sustainable building materials.
David Gottfried, Chief Commercial Officer at Blue Planet, explains their approach: "We can do much more in the Scope 3 area to reduce embodied carbon and ramp up efficiencies in older buildings or replacing them while deconstructing their existing carbon into new buildings in a circular way."
Aggregate, concrete & limestone sustainability target
Blue Planet's primary focus is on producing aggregate, concrete, and limestone using CO₂ and waste materials. The company claims that each tonne of its aggregate contains 440kg of sequestered CO₂, which remains permanently captured. This process can potentially make entire buildings carbon negative, according to the firm.
The company's innovative approach has attracted investment from several large corporations. Chevron, an American multinational energy company, has invested through its Future Energy Fund. Barbara Burger, VP of Innovation and President of Technology Ventures at Chevron, states: "Carbon capture, utilisation and storage, or CCUS, is viewed to be essential to advancing progress toward the global net zero ambition of the Paris Agreement."
Marathon Petroleum, an American petroleum refining, marketing, and transportation company, has also provided support to Blue Planet. Brent Constantz, Founder, CEO, and Chief Scientist at Blue Planet, comments on this partnership: "We are pleased to have the technical and commercial support of Marathon Petroleum at this critical phase of the scale up and commercialisation of our low and negative embodied carbon building materials."
About Blue Planet
Blue Planet says it is on a mission to “mineralise billions of tonnes of CO₂ per year in the built environment”.
Founded in 2013, the California-headquartered company produces aggregate, concrete and limestone using CO₂ and waste.
Blue Planet can make use of CO₂ from any source, unlike some other CCU solutions that require liquid CO2.
Each tonne of Blue Planet aggregate contains 440kg of sequestered CO₂ that will never escape into the atmosphere.