01 April 2023

A3&Co, a strategic and technical consulting firm focusing on the cement sector, has signed a key partnership with Carbon Upcycling Technologies (CUT), a Canada-based waste and carbon utilisation company, aimed at accelerating cement decarbonisation and circularity.

In line with the deal, A3&Co will support the engineering and project delivery of Carbon Upcycling’s technology in the global cement and concrete industry. The partnership sets the foundation for Carbon Upcycling and A3&Co to pave the future of low-carbon concrete and the development of a circular economy.

Speaking to Gulf Construction, A3&Co’s CEO Engineer Amr A Nader, comments: “The Mena region can play a major role in decarbonisation by adopting this technology and other available technologies today, as the region has a major impact on the cement global production with Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Algeria and UAE being amongst the top 20 producing countries in the world.

“These countries alone contribute to the global emissions by 184 million tons of CO2 from the cement sector alone, which is approximately eight per cent of the total CO2 emissions of the global cement sector.

“This technology alone can bring down the CO2 emissions of an average cement plant of 2.0 million tons/year by 20 per cent, given that one per cent is equivalent to saving 1.0 million litres of gasoline in cities per year or approximately planting 14,000 acres of forest.”

Nader says the technology is in the industrial implementation phase, leading to the scaling up phase. It will be applicable in the Gulf region once scaled up to around 100 tph, given the average size of the cement plants in the Mena region.

Founded in the UAE and operating internationally, A³&Co helps world leading organisations to maximise their investment potential using unique science-based solutions. 

A³&Co is actively supporting the cement industry in Saudi Arabia to decarbonise and thus make green cement available for giga projects like Neom and Diriyah and The Red Sea project.

Calgary-based Carbon Upcycling Technologies is focused on unlocking a new frontier of circular materials. By combining CO2 with local industrial by-products or natural materials, CUT is improving the performance and lowering emissions of cement and plastics, some of the most widely used materials on the planet. 

The partnership comes at a critical moment as Carbon Upcycling continues to expand operations in Canada and into the US and European markets. Over the next two years, Carbon Upcycling will be delivering the world’s first supplementary cementing materials (SCMs) enhancement reactor that directly bolts onto existing cement operations.

The technology enables decarbonisation by capturing operational emissions from cement production while reducing clinker content to lower the embodied carbon of cement. A3&Co’s proven track record and industry expertise will assist in both the acceleration and quality of project delivery.

Carbon Upcycling CEO Apoorv Sinha comments: “We look forward to collaborating with A3&Co. Their extensive experience working with over 125 facilities across the globe will prove invaluable as we continue to adapt our technology for seamless integration at cement plants, enabling on-site sequestration and utilisation of CO2.

“This partnership marks our joint endeavour to provide industry with a clear-cut path to decarbonisation, while furthering our mission to be the most impactful carbon tech company of this decade.”

Nader comments: “The road to green construction starts with green cement and green concrete and SCMs play a key role into that, adding a crucial circular dimension to the sustainability of the built environment. Our strategic collaboration with CUT inspires to produce green retrofit to make SCM an integral part of the cement plant operations and improve the global value addition of the sector in addition to drastically reducing the carbon footprint of cement and concrete”

With several projects to be announced across North America and Europe, this agreement is the latest in a series of partnerships by Carbon Upcycling to reduce the carbon impact of the cement and concrete industry.

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• New PCM process to keep homes cool
• Vegetal concrete helps achieve green goals

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Gulf Construction is the undisputed leading trade journal for the building and construction industries of Saudi Arabia and the other Gulf states. The magazine provides editorial coverage on a wide range of topics which are of interest to industry professionals. In addition, regular features highlight technological developments within specific industry fields. Launched 40 years ago, the magazine has established an enviable reputation as an authoritative, respected journal with unmatched coverage of the Gulf region. Gulf Construction is essential reading for anyone with a serious interest in the region’s building and construction industry.