CURA Climate has partnered with Grand Forks Concrete (GFC) to develop a pilot and first-of-kind commercial facility aimed at producing low-carbon cement from agricultural waste materials.
The agreement outlines a staged development program to demonstrate how spent lime generated in agricultural processing can be transformed into construction materials and agricultural inputs. The companies said the initiative is intended to establish a circular supply chain linking agriculture, cement production and carbon management.
Under the memorandum of understanding, the partners will begin with feasibility assessments and laboratory testing before progressing to a pilot-scale facility and ultimately a commercial plant.
If successful, the project could become the first commercial platform designed to convert agricultural spent lime into low-carbon ordinary Portland cement while generating nutrient-rich byproducts for agricultural use.
According to the developers, spent lime has historically been treated as a waste material in agricultural industries. The proposed process aims to extract value from this material by converting it into construction-grade cement products and soil-enhancing inputs.
Electrochemical approach to cement production
CURA’s technology relies on an electrochemical process that uses electricity and water rather than high-temperature combustion to transform spent lime into cement feedstock.
By partially electrifying the manufacturing process and removing impurities from the raw material, the system is designed to lower emissions associated with traditional cement production.
The pilot facility will generate operational and economic data needed to determine whether the technology can be deployed commercially at scale.
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The companies expect the demonstration phase to validate the process and enable qualification of the resulting cement products for use in real-world construction projects.
If the pilot proves viable, the partners plan to establish a joint venture to design and operate a commercial plant capable of producing low-carbon cement at industrial scale.
For GFC, the collaboration could also provide a domestic source of lower-emissions cement compatible with existing precast manufacturing processes. The companies say the project is intended to integrate with current construction supply chains while reducing reliance on conventional cement production pathways.
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