Building materials manufacturer Holcim has completed a strategic equity investment in 44.01, a clean technology enterprise specialising in carbon dioxide mineralisation within geological rock formations.
The investment will support the international expansion and technology scaling of 44.01, which injects captured carbon dioxide into naturally reactive ultramafic rock formations where it permanently mineralises into solid carbonate rock. The funding rounds out an established commercial partnership between the two entities.
Since July, Holcim and 44.01 have operated a joint pilot project under live industrial conditions at Holcim’s Fujairah cement plant in the United Arab Emirates. The site captures operational carbon emissions and permanently stores them underground within local geological formations. 44.01’s investor syndicate includes JERA, Breakthrough Energy Ventures, Equinor Ventures, Air Liquide Venture Capital, and Siemens Financial Services.
Key strategic, operational, and corporate details include:
- Inland storage flexibility: Provides an alternative carbon storage pathway for inland cement manufacturing facilities where access to offshore geological storage pipelines is restricted.
- Open innovation portfolio: Marks the 22nd venture investment executed by Holcim MAQER Ventures, Holcim’s corporate venture capital arm dedicated to scaling decarbonisation and built-environment technologies.
- Corporate alignment: Supports Holcim’s NextGen Growth 2030 strategy by embedding carbon capture, utilisation, and storage (CCUS) solutions directly into manufacturing operations.
- Permanent mineralisation: Permanently locks captured carbon dioxide into stable rock, eliminating the long-term monitoring risks associated with conventional gas storage.
Ram Muthu, Head of Operational Excellence at Holcim, stated that the investment builds on operational results from the Fujairah pilot, noting that 44.01’s technology provides a viable, localized carbon storage solution for inland production sites across Holcim’s global network.
