ZEN Carbon are a Kenyan start-up who aim to sequester 50,000 tons of CO2 by 2030 and 1 million tons by 2050 by injecting it straight into concrete. 

Injecting CO2 into concrete not only makes it stronger and sequesters the carbon indefinitely,  but it also reduces the amount of cement needed, which also cuts emissions.

Concrete accounts for 8% of the world’s CO2 emissions. If concrete were a country, it would rank only behind China and the US in terms of emissions. 

ZEN Carbon aim to source their CO2 via Kenya’s rapidly expanding Direct Air Capture industry, facilitated by the country’s huge geothermal capacity, as well as biogenic CO2 from ethanol and biogas waste.  

With CarbonFix’s funding, ZEN Carbon aim to achieve a 10% reduction in the amount of cement used, while maintaining at least 95% of the concrete’s strength. 

In parallel to fine-tuning production processes, the team aim to run a pilot and launch small-scale production. By November 2026, they aim to build a commercial demo structure and get their first carbon credits issued.

Read the interview with CEO Andy Onyango here.