Climate change: Construction giant Gammon tests new technology in Hong Kong to reduce carbon footprint of concrete
- The contractor is testing a technology that claims to cut 5 per cent from the overall carbon footprint of concrete
- If the trials go well Gammon could start using CarbonCure technology in construction sites in the first half of next year
At Gammon Construction’s batching plant in Hong Kong, the giant contractor is testing a technology that aims to reduce the carbon footprint of concrete and help the company meet sustainability targets.
Gammon is working with CarbonCure, invented by a Canadian start-up of the same name. The technology embeds carbon dioxide into concrete as an ingredient that strengthens a building and will not be released even upon the building’s eventual demolition, the company claims.
CarbonCure targets ‘embodied carbon’, a term for emissions associated with materials and construction processes throughout a structure’s life cycle. The category accounts for 11 per cent of global energy-related emissions, according to the non-profit World Green Building Council.
CarbonCure’s technology injects liquid carbon dioxide into fresh concrete during the mixing process, said Christie Gamble, senior director of sustainability at CarbonCure.
“When that CO2 is injected into the concrete, a chemical reaction starts to occur right away where that CO2 converts into a mineral and becomes permanently trapped within the concrete,” said Gamble.
