Sulzer and Blue Planet Deepen Collaboration to Accelerate Decarbonization of Concrete

Aggregate product produced
Sulzer Chemtech is strengthening its collaboration with Blue Planet to continue developing their highly innovative carbon capture and storage (CCUS) technology. The two companies are working together to commercialize a ground-breaking mineralization process that permanently sequesters carbon emissions captured from emissions-heavy industries in aggregate form, which can then be used to offset the CO2 footprint of cement, producing carbon-negative concrete. The new strategic agreement builds on Sulzer Chemtech’s and Blue Planet’s technical collaboration, launched in 2021. It also includes investment from Sulzer in Blue Planet’s latest funding round.

Pilot plant for Sulzer / Blue PlanetThe new strategic agreement follows the announcement of a technical collaboration between the two companies in 2021. This involved the use of Sulzer Chemtech’s innovative separation technology to support the development of an efficient and effective carbon capture unit to enable Blue Planet’s geomimetic process for carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS).

About the technology

Blue Planet’s technology combines carbon dioxide captured from emissions from heavy industries in solution with metal ions obtained from concrete or other industrial wastes, to obtain carbonate minerals and form synthetic limestone aggregate. The limestone aggregate can then be combined with cement to produce high-quality, sustainable concrete. More precisely, Blue Planet’s technology permanently locks up to 440 kg of carbon dioxide (CO2) in every tonne of aggregate produced. As a result, it is possible to completely offset the CO2 footprint of cement and produce carbon negative concrete.

Dr. Brent Constantz, Blue Planet’s Founder and CEO, comments: “Sulzer Chemtech has been a solid partner in our joint development, working both in their R&D facility in Winterthur, Switzerland, and at our Global Innovation Center, located at our San Francisco Bay Aggregates plant on San Francisco Bay, where we have been operating a Sulzer Chemtech packed column successfully for several months. Many plants that are in the pipeline globally will benefit from the partnership.”

CO2 absorber column using structured packings, distributor and demister.Torsten Wintergerste, Division President at Sulzer Chemtech, concludes: “Sulzer Chemtech is leading the way in driving sustainable practices across the industry. We are succeeding in this thanks to key technologies and partnerships, such as our collaboration with Blue Planet. Our latest funding will help the development, advancement, and global adoption of ambitious carbon capture solutions to accelerate the transition to net-zero emissions.”

About Blue Planet

Blue Planet Systems Corporation was founded in 2012 to commercialize a revolutionary approach to CO2 management at the gigatonne scale by converting captured CO2 into limestone construction aggregates where it is permanently sequestered into building materials. Blue Planet uses its proprietary Geomimetic process, that mimics similar natural chemical process that have regulated Earth’s atmospheric CO2 over many hundreds of millions of years and created coral reefs, the White Cliffs of Dover, and almost all natural limestone, which contain most of Earth’s carbon. Without complex CO2 separation or purification steps or reliance on subsidies, and now ready to implement with existing aggregate handling infrastructure available worldwide, Blue Planet believes it has developed the only truly scalable method for capturing and permanently managing billions of tonnes of CO2 before 2035. Learn more at www.blueplanetsystems.com

About Sulzer

Sulzer is a global leader in fluid engineering. The company specializes in pumping, agitation, mixing, separation and application technologies for fluids of all types. Their customers benefit from their commitment to innovation, performance and quality. Customers also benefit from the responsive network of 180 world-class manufacturing facilities and service centers across the globe. Sulzer has had its headquarter in Winterthur, Switzerland since 1834. In 2021, the company’s 13,800 employees delivered revenues of CHF 3.2 billion. Shares for the company are available for trade on the SIX Swiss Exchange (SIX: SUN).

The Chemtech division is the global market leader in innovative mass transfer, static mixing and polymer solutions for chemicals, petrochemicals, refining and LNG. We are steering the way in ecological solutions such as bio-based chemicals, polymers and fuels, recycling technologies for textiles and plastic as well as carbon capture and utilization/storage, contributing to a circular and sustainable economy. The product offerings range from process components to complete process plants and technology licensing.

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