February 10, 2025

Architectural Concepts Guide

Elevating Home Design Standards

New Study Says Building Materials Could Store More Than 16 Billion Tonnes Of CO2 Annually

New Study Says Building Materials Could Store More Than 16 Billion Tonnes Of CO2 Annually

A new study published in Science magazine looked into the role of carbon-storing building materials in the efforts to mitigate climate change.

The research, conducted by academics from the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of California and the Department of Earth System Science at Stanford University, showed that building materials have the potential to store more than 16 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide annually.

This substantial carbon storage capacity could be unlocked in a scenario where conventional building materials would be fully replaced with CO2-storing alternatives in new infrastructure. 

As a result, approximately 16.6 ± 2.8 Gt of CO2 would be removed, an amount that equals roughly 50% of the carbon dioxide emitted from all anthropogenic sources in 2021. 

The carbon-storing materials considered in this work include wood, bio-based plastic, carbonateable cement, carbonate-based aggregate, biochar cement filler, portlandite brick, biomass fiber-based brick, and bio-based asphalt bitumen. 

According to the study, the total storage potential in building materials is heavily influenced by the scale of material use rather than the carbon storage capacity per unit mass.

While the authors note the work of various companies like Carbon Upcycling, BluePlanet, and O.C.O. Technology, which are currently offering carbon-storing building materials on the market, they also stress the need for larger-scale production to be able to reach the maximum storage capacity.

Relevant: Paebbl Secures $25M To Scale Carbon Storage In Construction Materials

Besides being produced in larger volumes, these innovative materials would also need to establish themselves as a viable option for stakeholders in the construction industry if they are to become a dominant element in the building sector. 

In that regard, in order for these sustainable building alternatives to be able to compete with conventional options, they would need to be cost-effective and to deliver the same level of material performance and safety. 

Policy is another factor that could enable the accelerated adoption of these materials, where the governments and regulatory bodies could encourage the use of carbon-storing construction materials through incentives, building codes, and standards.

Read more: Biochar Life And Siam Cement Group To Revolutionize Sustainable Construction

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