The U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy (ARPA-E) has awarded Queens Carbon $14.5 million to support the development of a pilot facility for producing supplementary cementitious materials. This facility, designed for a 10 metric tons/day output, will be integrated into an existing portland cement plant. Queens Carbon’s innovative hydrothermal technology transforms carbonate mineral feedstocks into Q-SCM binder, which can replace 20-50% of portland cement in concrete mixes.
Queens Carbon’s Q-SCM process operates at approximately half the 1,450°C temperature needed for traditional portland cement clinker, allowing the use of renewable energy instead of fossil fuels. Additionally, the hydrothermal method captures all CO2 emissions generated during the mineral transformation process.
ARPA-E Director Evelyn Wang highlighted the importance of the project: “The SCALEUP grant will enable Queens Carbon to advance their previous work and establish an integrated facility to produce carbon-neutral materials, advancing our goals for decarbonizing cement production.” This grant is part of ARPA-E’s Seeding Critical Advances for Leading Energy Technologies with Untapped Potential (SCALEUP) program, aimed at scaling disruptive technologies across various energy and industrial sectors.
Queens Carbon CEO Daniel Kopp emphasized the significance of the grant: “This SCALEUP funding accelerates our path to commercialization. Partnering with ARPA-E and a leading cement industry player will expedite the deployment and optimization of our pilot plant, moving us closer to achieving significant CO2 reductions.”
Supported by Breakthrough Energy Ventures, Queens Carbon joins a network of innovative companies including Brimstone, Rondo Energy, Solidia Technologies, and Terra CO2 Technology Holdings, all focused on reducing carbon emissions in concrete production.
