CarbonFree, a pioneer in decarbonisation technologies, unveiled endurocal™, the first zero-carbon calcium carbonate alternative designed to replace traditional calcium carbonate in various industries. The innovative product provides a sustainable solution for plastics, paints, and paper, addressing a 30 million metric ton market.
Martin Keighley, CEO of CarbonFree, described the development as a major leap in recycling carbon dioxide. “endurocal represents a breakthrough in the recycled use of carbon dioxide, providing a cost-effective path for manufacturing competitiveness using emissions that would otherwise go to waste.”
He added, “Companies will now have the ability to use cost-competitive chemicals while also decarbonizing their supply chains.”
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A Sustainable Alternative to Conventional Calcium Carbonate
In architectural paints, manufacturers use calcium carbonate as a specialty chemical, making up 30-40% of the product to control brightness and increase volume. Unlike traditional production methods, CarbonFree manufactures endurocal using its proprietary SkyCycle™ technology, which captures carbon dioxide from industrial emissions.
CarbonFree converts the captured CO₂ into calcium carbonate, identical to the naturally occurring mineral found in limestone. The result is a product that securely retains the captured carbon, even after end product use.
Scaling Decarbonization with SkyCycle Technology
The innovation builds on CarbonFree’s agreement with US Steel to deploy SkyCycle technology at its Gary Works Blast Furnaces. This collaboration, set to begin operations in 2027, will capture 50,000 metric tons of CO₂ annually from US Steel’s facilities and convert it into an enduro car. Additionally, the project will recover calcium from slag, reducing industrial waste.
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Reducing Carbon Footprints in Multiple Ways
The initiative prevents 50,000 metric tons of CO₂ emissions and offsets 150,000 tons from traditional calcium carbonate production. These reductions are equivalent to removing nearly 12,000 passenger cars from the road annually.