The Terra CO₂ Solution

Technology

Terra’s core technology is a production process that allows us to convert cheap, abundant, and local feedstocks to cementitious material. We call our basic product “OPUS” as a nod to the chemical similarities of our material and Roman cements, some of which have lasted in concretes for two thousand years. Terra’s OPUS cementitious material is an engineered product with similarities to both natural pozzolan and fly ash. Unlike existing supplementary cementitious materials, OPUS products can be manufactured locally in large quantity, minimizing transportation costs, and allowing reliable supply with strict quality control.

We are one of the first companies to create a solution for economic local manufacturing of alternative cementitious materials.

Advanced Cement Products

The OPUS process is designed with the future in mind. We believe that an efficient transition toward sustainable cement and concrete also means a transition away from the production of conventional limestone-based cements because carbonate-based rocks have high embodied CO₂, which is all released during cement manufacture. Factoring out limestone from the equation addresses the root cause of carbon emissions.

Feedstock

Silicate-based igneous rocks (such as granite) and unconsolidated sediment (such as sands and gravels) are the most abundant rock materials at Earth’s surface. These two types of feedstock are not only abundant and chemically attractive for the OPUS process, but infrastructure to extract these rocks already exists everywhere that concrete is needed. Countless granite quarries and alluvial sand/gravel pits are already permitted and in production. The high number of probable feedstock locations lowers haul cost because travel distance of the material to a processing plant is reduced. In many cases, it is even possible to process feedstock on-site. This offers a unique economic opportunity for Terra to provide scalable, eco-friendly SCM to the market.

Concrete Testing

OPUS cementitious materials are currently undergoing through the full spectrum of concrete testing required to certify their safe use in commercial concrete construction. Our three main products will be introduced one after the other to support a staged transition to alternative low-CO₂ cement. The first product, OPUS SCM, will be available in some markets in late 2022.

Terra’s cement products will allow lower Portland cement content over time.