Cemex is participating in the IREX-administered FastCarb project that will capture CO2 in concrete, which is then used in aggregate. The scheme will improve the quality of this type of recycled aggregate by plugging the porosity and leading to a greater understanding of the accelerated carbonisation mechanism for recycled concrete aggregates.

Started in 2016, FastCarb works to design and implement an accelerated carbonisation process at pre-industrial scale to store CO2 in recycled concrete. The project is now in its second phase moving to industrial-scale production, after passing the initial laboratory testing. Cemex has been asked to evaluate the physical and mechanical properties of the carbonated concrete aggregates when used in ready-mix concrete in the laboratory facilities at the National Technical Center of Cemex France.

"This initiative is a relevant component of our ambition to deliver net-zero CO2 concrete globally to all of our customers by 2050," said Vicente Saiso, Cemex's director of sustainability. "FastCarb aims to allow us to develop the circular economy of concrete by improving the quality of recycled concrete aggregates."