Climate tech startup Kapture cements carbon capture plans

Melbourne climate tech startup Kapture is making concrete a lot more environmentally friendly, developing a way to sequester carbon in it.

The new process effectively captures and stores carbon dioxide emissions from combustion sources, permanently embedding them in concrete, reducing emissions while enhancing material performance. 

Kapture partnered with Western Australian concrete products manufacturer PERMAcast in trials of their carbon-embedded byproduct in concrete production to assess its strength, durability, and overall performance under real-world conditions.

Kapture’s byproduct significantly reduces the CO2 footprint of concrete production. By integrating captured CO2 directly into the concrete mix, the technology lowers emissions associated with cement, one of the most carbon-intensive materials in construction.

The Kapture byproduct replaces a percentage of the existing concrete product, effectively lowering the environmental impact of the cement manufacturing process without adding to production costs. 

Kapture CEO Raj Bagri said the preliminary lab results have been highly promising and surpassed performance expectations for the material. 

Every ton of Kapture’s solvent used to capture CO2 from diesel generators resulted in an offset of between 0.7 to 1.2 tons of CO2 from being released to the atmosphere during the cement manufacturing process.

“Our successful trials sequestering CO2 in concrete are a pivotal step forward in transforming one of the most carbon-intensive industries,” she said.

“The trials have validated that Kapture has developed an innovative solution for the concrete industry without sacrificing performance or cost – no green premium! The byproduct will be available for use in the concrete industry in 2025”.

Bagri cofounded Kapture in 2022 to decarbonise diesel generators, developing low-cost membrane technology that captures CO2 emissions before they are emitted into the atmosphere. The startup was part of the Startmate 2023 cohort.

A trial of Kapture’s carbon capture technology is scheduled for Q1 2025 with an Australian electricity utility. Bagri said further details will be announced shortly.