University of Strathclyde spinout Ureaka turns mineral waste into carbon-negative cement replacement materials

A new spinout from the University of Strathclyde called Ureaka is developing a process that turns low-value mineral waste into carbon-negative construction materials. The company aims to replace parts of traditional cement with a supplementary cementitious material made from waste concrete and captured CO2. Cement production accounts for roughly 8% of global CO2 emissions, and this approach could help cut that without changing existing manufacturing processes. The process recovers calcium and silica from waste streams and uses captured CO2 to form stable carbonate minerals, locking the carbon into solid form. The resulting powder is designed as a drop-in replacement that concrete manufacturers can add to standard mixes. Ureaka is now moving from lab research toward commercial application with factory-scale modeling and product testing planned. If it works at scale, this could offer a lower-cost route to more sustainable construction inputs while permanently storing CO2.