CarbonCure’s Robust Lab Protocol: Customized Trials to Maximize Customer Success

At CarbonCure, we recognize that strong data and thorough evaluation and verification are essential for any concrete producer looking to incorporate CO2 mineralization into their operations. Our comprehensive two-step lab protocol ensures compatibility, and maximizes cement efficiency.

Step 1: Material trials tailored to you and your operations

Consulting and building upon hundreds of prior customer trials, our expert lab team will carefully assess how your cement, supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs) and chemical admixtures respond to injected CO2.

• Cement and SCMs: Our team will confirm volumes for you, typically in the same ratio you use on-site (e.g. 70% cement / 30% SCM).
• Admixtures - sealed properly to avoid contamination also form a part of the trial process. Our team will advise on necessary volumes.

We test for CO2 reactivity in our high-tech lab using cutting-edge technology and ASTM standards:

• Isothermal Calorimetry (ASTM C1679): Measures the heat given off during cement hydration. A noticeable heat release confirms that CO2 is reacting to form calcium carbonate—helping improve concrete’s properties.
• Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR): Checks qualitatively for calcium carbonate formation by looking at characteristic infrared signals.
• X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA), and Mass Spectrometry: As needed, to provide deeper insights into how CO2
  interacts with your materials.

Learn more about the advanced equipment and processes powering CarbonCure’s research lab.

What You Can Expect:

→ Verification that your cementitious materials are a good match for CO2 injection.

→ Assessment of whether admixtures and CO2 might affect setting times or other key properties.

Step 2: Determine CO2 dose & cement reduction

Our team will then evaluate lab results to fine-tune the precise amount of injected CO2, verify performance, and identify potential cement savings to maximize value without sacrificing quality. All testing is completed at a CarbonCure lab, or at a CarbonCure-approved lab.

What You Can Expect
→ Decision support to help you reduce cement thanks to CO2 injection and mineralization.
→ You’ll gather reliable lab data to assure customers and stakeholders that your concrete meets or exceeds project specs.

CarbonCure's Customer Lab Team works directly with new customers to confirm that your materials and CarbonCure’s technologies are the perfect
match—by the time you install CarbonCure’s equipment, you will already know what results to expect. And our Research & Development Team creates new innovations, runs advanced tests (like XRD or TGA), and supports existing producers with any troubleshooting.

Ready to learn more? Contact us at info@carboncure.com.

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