Opening 1.000t Demo plant: Co-reactive sets new standards with climate-friendly construction materials from NRW
Co-reactive opened its 1,000-ton demonstration plant in Erkrath to produce CO₂-binding cement substitutes, marking a key step toward scaling climate-friendly construction materials from NRW.
The cement industry is responsible for around 8% of global CO₂ emissions. A large share of these emissions arises from the chemical conversion of limestone and therefore cannot be avoided through the use of renewable energy alone. This is precisely where the Düsseldorf-based startup Co-reactive comes in: the company has developed an innovative technology to produce construction materials that bind CO₂ over the long term. These materials can replace cement in large quantities without compromising the strength and durability of concrete and other construction materials — paving the way for a construction industry with a significantly reduced CO₂ footprint and cost parity with today’s cement prices.
On 27 April, Co-reactive invited guests to the opening of its newly built demonstration plant. Only in November, the company moved from RWTH Aachen to Erkrath near Düsseldorf, and is now starting operations there to produce 1,000 tons of climate-friendly construction material annually while binding 300 tons of CO₂ in a long-term stable form. Co-founder and CEO Dr. Andreas Bremen said at the opening ceremony: “Our plant clearly shows that climate-friendly technologies are already a reality today and that, in the future, we can enable enormous CO₂ savings in the construction sector.”
The special feature of the production plant lies in its continuous process design, which enables 24/7 operation while efficiently using the waste heat generated by the reactions taking place within the process.
CTO Orlando Kleineberg describes it as follows: “You can imagine the conversion from raw material to climate-friendly construction material like this: In a long coil of tubing, raw materials such as olivine or metallurgical slags are suspended in water and treated with CO₂ under pressure. The CO₂ reacts with the raw materials to form mineral carbonate, while releasing amorphous silicon oxide, which is crucial for cementitious applications. After drying, the fine-grained product material can be used directly in mortar and concrete applications.”
The opening was attended by representatives from politics, industry and science. Among others, Prof. Thomas Matschei spoke about the opportunities of sustainable construction materials, while Erkrath’s mayor Christoph Schultz and Bundestag member Dr. Klaus Wiener (CDU) from the Mettmann II constituency delivered welcoming remarks. Gabriela Pantring, Chairwoman of the Management Board of NRW.BANK, emphasized the central role of increased innovation financing at both local and European level. Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection Mona Neubaur visited the plant and highlighted the significance of Co-reactive’s new production facility in her speech: “Climate protection technology is not a brake. It can be the turbocharger. For us in North Rhine-Westphalia, this is nothing new. The fact that Co-reactive is bringing a revolutionary technology to market here that actively binds CO₂ in construction materials underlines the innovative strength of our location. These are exactly the kinds of solutions that will be decisive for the transformation of energy-intensive sectors, as shown here in the construction industry. In this way, we secure competitiveness, create future-proof and secure jobs, and at the same time make an important contribution to climate protection.”
The urgency of transforming the construction materials industry was also emphasized by an industry representative: Dr. Michael Fooken, Head of Technology at Sievert Baustoffe SE & Co. KG, explained in his speech: “We urgently need to build in a more climate-friendly way. Sievert has embarked on this path with its construction material solutions and will continue to pursue it unwaveringly, regardless of the various challenges that still exist. Co-reactive’s construction material is a very important milestone on this journey.”
The startup is already thinking ahead: in the long term, production volumes of several million tons of construction material are to be achieved, thereby also storing millions of tons of CO₂. “We create value from CO₂ and offer a real economic alternative to the previously costly underground storage of CO₂ without economic added value. The goal is clear: we are scaling the urgently needed climate-positive construction materials from NRW, for Germany and Europe,” emphasize the three founders Andreas Bremen (CEO), Orlando Kleineberg (CTO) and Willi Peter (CCO).
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