Kajima Corporation and Kawasaki Heavy Industries have successfully developed a new concrete manufacturing system capable of capturing and fixing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. This system integrates a CO₂ separation and capture device, which can collect more than 5 kilograms of CO₂ per day at a purity level exceeding 99%, with a carbonation curing chamber that allows the concrete to absorb and fix the captured CO₂. Demonstration tests confirmed that the system achieved the targeted level of CO₂ fixation while maintaining sufficient flexural strength in the concrete.

The process employs Direct Air Capture (DAC) technology — a method for directly extracting CO₂ from ambient air — in the production of an environmentally friendly concrete known as “CO₂-SUICOM,” which is specifically designed to absorb and fix CO₂. The DAC unit, including its auxiliary systems, is compactly housed in a container, facilitating the automatic separation and collection of over 5 kilograms of CO₂ daily from the atmosphere, followed by its supply in a high-concentration form.

Kajima and Kawasaki Heavy Industries used these CUCO-SUICOM blocks to pave the entrance of the CUCO-SUICOM Dome at the Osaka-Kansai Expo. Looking ahead, the two companies plan to explore full-scale production of CO₂-SUICOM at PCa concrete product plants by optimizing DAC devices to match the required volume of CO₂. They aim to further enhance the system, promoting the concept of local production and local consumption of CO₂ fixed in concrete. (2025/03/13)