Paebbl, a Nordic-Dutch climate technology company, has just completed its Series A funding round to the tune of $25 million. This new infusion of cash will be used to scale up its operation converting captured carbon dioxide into carbon-storing building materials.
Within the first half of 2025 Paebbl will be creating a facility that can boost its production of CO2 sequestering building materials to three tonnes per day. There are several participants who invested in Paebbl and its new technology, including Capnamic, Holcim, Aurum Impact, Pale Blue Dot, the Grantham Foundation and Amazon’s Climate Pledge Fund.
In 2021 the company conducted a pilot program where they produced 250 kg a day of supplementary cementitious material (SCM) with sequestered CO2. In May 2024, Paebbl achieved a milestone as it sequestered its first full tonne of carbon dioxide that was cast into its concrete structures.
Their goal is to delivery a technology scale-up at an unprecedented pace, and to do that safely. Within a span of two years they’ve moved from producing grams to producing hundreds of kilograms of carbon-storing materials per day.
So, how well can all their production be tracked? The company claims it can transparently track every CO2 molecule captured and prove permanent sequestration. They are collaborating with leading Measurement, Reporting and Verification (MRV) providers and are working to align themselves with emerging regulatory frameworks.
With their goal of creating construction materials that sequester carbon in mind, co-CEO and co-founder Andreas Saari said, “We have the chance to turn the built environment into the world’s greatest carbon sink.”
How Paebbl Uses Mineralization to Sequester CO2
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Over time CO2 is naturally converted to stone. Paebbl’s technology just speeds up that process 10 million times. The technology is based on a process known as CO2 mineralization, which is a natural phenomenon where CO2 is converted into solid minerals, such as carbonates.
This process, also referred to as rock weathering, occurs naturally over thousands of years as part of the Earth’s carbon cycle. In this cycle, CO2 is absorbed from the atmosphere and reacts with minerals like magnesium and calcium to form stable carbonate compounds, which are then stored in the Earth’s crust.
Paebbl accelerates this process inside of a special reactor, capturing CO2 and converting it into stable carbonates and incorporated into construction materials in a matter of hours rather than thousands of years.
The Mineralization Process
The mineralization process that allows for the transformation of CO2 into building materials starts with Paebbl selecting minerals that are abundant and reactive, either from natural rock sources or waste streams from mining.
Once the CO2 is mineralized, the carbonates are integrated into supplementary cementitious materials, which are used as a component of concrete. This CO2-infused material replaces a portion of cement, providing a lower-carbon alternative with comparable structural performance.
Every ton of Paebbl’s SCM can store up to 300 kg of CO2, transforming the construction material into a carbon sink rather than a carbon emitter.
The reactors are designed to maximize CO2 absorption and mineral transformation. By precisely controlling temperature, pressure and mineral particle size, Paebbl is able to achieve a high rate of CO2 conversion, making the process efficient for industrial applications.
Paebbl’s reactors can be deployed at carbon capture facilities, where they utilize CO2 emissions from industrial processes, biomass or direct air capture. This on-site sequestration reduces the need for CO2 transport infrastructure and provides a local solution to carbon emissions.
Image from Depositphotos
