Mitsubishi UBE Cement Corporation (MUCC) invests US$5 Million into MCi Carbon

Mitsubishi UBE Cement Corporation (MUCC), the second largest cement company in Japan, have announced a US$5 million investment into MCi Carbon (MCi), a leading Australian cleantech pioneering mineral carbonation technology. This marks MUCC’s first investment into the field of mineral carbonation and carbon capture and utilisation (CCU), reinforcing its position as a forward-looking leader in low-carbon cement and concrete innovation. MUCC is the fourth major Japanese industry partner to invest in MCi Carbon, joining ITOCHU Corporation, Mizuho Bank and Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Bank.

As part of the investment, the parties have also struck a long-term collaboration agreement that will capitalise on MUCC’s extensive cement industry knowledge and MCi’s leadership in mineral carbonation technology. Concurrently, MUCC and existing investor and partner ITOCHU Corporation have executed a three-way Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with MCi that is complimentary to the collaboration agreement. This new MoU covers a range of activities to further advance MUCC’s adoption of MCi’s technology in Japan.

MUCC’s investment signals a critical milestone in reducing CO₂ emissions in one of the world’s most carbon-intensive industries within one of the world’s largest economies. This collaboration is poised to accelerate the decarbonisation of cement and concrete in Japan through both the direct abatement of CO₂ emissions and development of novel low-carbon materials from MUCC’s CO₂ emissions that can be re-used in its cement process or elsewhere in the Japanese economy. MUCC’s investment will serve as a catalyst for the global cement and concrete sectors as they transition towards sustainable production methods.

This investment directly supports the imminent commissioning of ‘Myrtle’, MCi Carbon’s state-of-the-art mineral carbonation Demonstration Plant in Australia. The plant will serve as a global showcase of mineral carbonation’s commercial scalability, empowering both Australian and Japanese stakeholders to adopt and refine technologies that minimise environmental impact. The partnership will also fast-track business development plans for introducing MCi Carbon’s technology into the Japanese cement industry, paving the way for new low-carbon materials and sustainable construction solutions.

MUCC is currently researching and developing direct carbonation methods employing waste concrete and other materials through the Green Innovation Fund Project of the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO). The objective is to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions and help meet global climate targets, while creating valuable, circular-economy products derived from industrial by-products.

The Japanese-Australian decarbonisation partnership is further strengthened by the signing of a three-way MOU between ITOCHU Corporation, MUCC and MCi Carbon. The MOU signals a deepening focus of Japanese industrial companies, trading houses and technology towards deploying and scaling novel decarbonisation technologies to reach net zero.

Read the article online at: https://www.worldcement.com/asia-pacific-rim/03022025/mitsubishi-ube-cement-corporation-mucc-invests-us5-million-into-mci-carbon/