Hosted by e5 – European Business Council for Sustainable Energy and Materials and TechnoCarbonMaterials

Building with stone can radically cut the reliance on steel and concrete while permanently storing CO₂. This session explores how Gabbro and Basalt – used both as construction materials and as feedstock for enhanced rock weathering (ERW) – can turn buildings into carbon removal assets. Stone dust from cutting slabs becomes a resource, not a waste stream, linking building materials, ERW, biochar and biochemistry into one integrated climate solution.

We’ll unpack how this approach can scale to gigaton-level removals, creating a market-financed CDR “machine” that cuts process emissions, delivers resilient housing, and supports food security. Drawing on lessons from German initiatives such as CDRterra, LeBaMaN and DACCUSS, the session will show how climate, business and communities can all benefit when stone becomes a core part of the carbon removal value chain.

What we’ll cover

• Latest findings on enhanced rock weathering from the German CDRterra project (cdrterra.de).
• How Gabbro and Basalt evolve from optimal ERW rocks into high-performance building materials (LeBaMaN.de).
• How combining building materials, ERW, biochar and biochemistry forms a scalable, market-backed CDR business model (DACCUSS.de, TechnoCarbonMaterials.global).
• Opportunities for deployment in Europe, China, the US, Australia and the Global South, where suitable stone resources are abundant.

Who’s on stage

• Kolja Kuse, Chair, e5 – European Business Council for Sustainable Energy and Materials (Session owner & moderator)
• Kjell Kühne, Board member, TechnoCarbon (China); Leave it in the Ground Initiative

Join us

In person: CDR30 Pavilion, Blue Zone, Belém – Monday, 10 Nov 2025, 10:00–11:30 (local)
Online: Watch the livestream on the Negative Emissions Platform YouTube channel
Stay updated: Follow CDR30 and NEP channels for programme updates and recordings