World’s first carbon-storing bridge locks away 146 pounds of CO2

Heijmans and climate tech company Paebbl have unveiled the world’s first pedestrian bridge constructed using CO2-neutral concrete, located in the Netherlands. The 7-meter-long bridge employs a concrete mix that replaces conventional materials with carbon-storing and recycled alternatives, including Paebbl’s CO2-mineralizing material, biochar, and recycled aggregates. This innovative mix contains no primary sand or gravel and consists of 75 percent circular raw materials. Despite the unconventional composition, the concrete met all structural strength requirements and permanently sequesters nearly 66 kg (146 pounds) of CO2 in the bridge deck, achieving full CO2 neutrality. The concrete mix replaces 30 percent of the original cement with Paebbl’s carbon-storing material, resulting in an embodied carbon reduction of almost 30 percent compared to low-carbon reference concrete. Given that cement production accounts for about 8 percent of global carbon emissions, this reduction is significant. Paebbl’s technology accelerates natural mineralization processes to