CocoonCarbon
Problem addressed
The race to build a sustainable future by 2050 will increase the demand for steel and cement. The production of these materials creates 13.5% of global CO2 emissions and without urgent decarbonisation of both sectors any future we build will blast past the 1.5°C warming.
Overview of start-up
Cocoon Carbon is developing technology that upcycles steel slag from electric-arc furnaces into a supplementary cementitious material (SCM). This material can be used to replace up to 50% of cement that goes into concrete. This SCM performs comparably to GGBS with lower embodied carbon than GGBS or fly ash. Cocoon’s SCM also performs above the ASTM standards required for hydraulic cement.
What makes the start-up innovative?
As steel slag is increasing in volume compared to blast furnace slag, Cocoon Carbon is upcycling a waste stream that exists in huge quantities already in the world (100’s millions of tonnes) and is well distributed to service the cement industry. It’s easy to integrate into an existing steel plant, and their process has relatively low capex versus other carbon capture-based solutions.
How the start-up has been designed to scale-up quickly
Cocoon’s solution slots into existing slag management processes and is being designed for scale to process all the slag typically produced at a steel plant. By cutting CO2 emissions and landfilled waste, they are significantly reducing both CO2 tax and waste handling costs for manufacturers, turning waste streams into revenue streams. This model eliminates capital expenditure, providing manufacturers with immediate return on investment.