World’s first carbon concrete plant for CO₂-storing precast elements
C-Factory: Carbon concrete plant for the production of sustainable precast elements
With the C-Factory, a pioneering industrial project for climate-friendly construction is being developed in Leipzig: the world’s first carbon concrete plant for the fully automated production of CO₂-storing precast elements for building construction.
The collaborative project is funded under the Federal Funding for Industry and Climate Protection (BIK) program by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWE) with approximately €14 million and will run until the end of 2029.
What is carbon concrete? Definition and benefits
Carbon concrete is an innovative composite material made of concrete reinforced with carbon fibers. Unlike steel reinforcement, carbon concrete is corrosion-resistant, enabling significantly slimmer, lighter, and more durable structural components. Due to the reduced concrete cover, material usage, resource consumption, and CO₂ emissions are significantly decreased, while at the same time enabling new design and construction possibilities in the building industry.
Learn more about Carbon concrete
From research to industrial production: precast manufacturing with carbon fibers
The construction and use of buildings causes around 40% of greenhouse gas emissions in Germany. Carbon concrete offers enormous potential in this regard:
By using non-corrosive carbon reinforcement, building components/prefabricated elements can be designed to be significantly slimmer and more resource-efficient. Savings of up to 80% in cement, sand and gravel are already possible today.
The C-Factory now marks the decisive step: the transition of carbon concrete construction from research to practical application and scalable industrial precast production.
Fully automated production with carbon concrete as a key technology
At the heart of the project is the development of a prototype, fully automated factory for the production of large-format carbon-concrete components.
For the first time, CO₂-mineralised aggregates and CO₂-storing materials are also being systematically integrated into the production process.
The pilot plant to be built in Leipzig/Germany will serve as a benchmark for future production sites and establish the basis for the large-scale industrial implementation of this sustainable construction method with carbon concrete.
Strong partnership between industry and research
The partnership project is coordinated by Kahnt & Tietze GmbH.
- Betonwerk Oschatz GmbH
- SCHWENK Zement GmbH & Co. KG
- ABS Storkow GmbH
- Forschungs- und Transferzentrum Leipzig e. V. (HTWK Leipzig)
- Technische Universität Dresden
- Prilhofer Consulting GmbH & Co. KG
Factory planning for a carbon concrete production plant by Prilhofer Consulting
Prilhofer Consulting brings long-standing expertise in factory planning and industrial precast production to the project.
As an independent consultant for the planning and implementation of automated production facilities, the company advises experienced precast concrete manufacturers, building companies, real estate developers and complete newcomers to the construction industry worldwide on the introduction of efficient, automated production systems, as well as on the transition to prefabrication or industrial production of precast concrete elements.
C-Factory focuses on the design and implementation of a cost-effective, scalable production structure for carbon concrete building components – as the foundation for the industrial application of this innovative construction method.
C-Factory as a catalyst for the transformation of the construction industry
The C-Factory serves as an example of the integration of research, industry and automation.
The target is to establish a sustainable and cost-effective alternative to traditional reinforced concrete construction, whilst simultaneously strengthening industrial competitiveness.
By developing scalable production concepts for CO₂-storing components, the project is making a significant contribution to the decarbonisation of the construction industry worldwide.
Do you have questions about the production of carbon concrete precast elements?
If you would like to learn more about the industrial production of precast components with carbon reinforcement, feel free to contact us
