Sustainable building materials provider Terra CO2 has secured $124.5 million in a Series B financing round. The funds will be used to expand the company’s commercial facilities for producing affordable materials that contribute to low-carbon cement. Founded in 2016 and based in Colorado, Terra CO2 offers high-performance, environmentally sustainable solutions for the global construction materials market. Its OPUS products serve as a low-carbon alternative to traditional cement, using abundant, climate-friendly silicate rock feedstock. Terra’s first product, OPUS SCM (Supplementary Cementitious Material), can replace up to 50% of Portland cement, with each ton replaced resulting in a 70% reduction in CO2 emissions and a 90% reduction in NOx emissions. The company is currently conducting full concrete trials for its OPUS ZERO technology, which aims to replace 100% of Portland cement.
Cement production is a major source of global greenhouse gas emissions, contributing approximately 8% of carbon dioxide emissions worldwide, with over 900 kg of CO2 released for every 1000 kg of material produced. Terra CO2 plans to use the new capital to advance its first 240,000-ton-per-year commercial advanced-processing facility in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Additionally, the funds will support team growth, development of more commercial projects, and the advancement of new generations of cementitious products.
Terra CEO Bill Yearsley stated, “Terra’s mandate is to deliver cementitious material solutions that the market would purchase solely based on cost and performance, even if there was no carbon benefit. The fact that Terra’s cementitious materials also offer significant carbon mitigation is an additional advantage for the built environment.”
This announcement marks the second round of Terra’s Series B financing, following an initial round earlier this year. The Series B was co-led by Breakthrough Energy Ventures, Eagle Materials, GenZero, and Just Climate. The new round includes a significant investment by Barclays Climate Ventures, with participation from logistics company Prologis, construction materials giant Cemex, and Siemens Financial Services. Terra also announced a new credit facility provided by Silicon Valley Bank and Stifel Bank.
Steven Poulter, Head of Barclays Climate Ventures, commented, “Terra’s technology offers a combination of commercial readiness and cost competitiveness. Its ability to support the decarbonisation of a heavy industry such as cement aligns with our commitment to support scalable, near-term solutions in hard-to-abate sectors.”