RIT researchers work with industry partners to scale breakthrough carbon capture technology that turns emissions into rock-like materials

Rochester, New York – At the Rochester Institute of Technology, researchers are taking a critical step in transforming a lab-scale breakthrough into a real-world solution for climate change. The effort is being led by the New York State Center of Excellence in Advanced and Sustainable Manufacturing (COE-ASM) at RIT’s Golisano Institute for Sustainability (GIS), where engineers are tackling the challenge of scaling up a promising method of turning carbon dioxide into solid, stone-like materials.

The project centers around technology first developed at Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y., where researchers discovered a way to speed up a naturally occurring mineralization process. Normally, this process happens over centuries as carbon dioxide interacts with minerals in the environment, but Cornell’s team created a system that works on an industrial timeline. Using a reusable, low-energy solvent, they found they could capture CO₂ from waste streams and react it with industrial byproducts like steel slag or cement kiln dust. The result is a carbonate solid that permanently locks away the carbon, while also creating a material that can be used in cement or concrete.

That discovery became the basis for the startup Carbon To Stone, founded in 2022 to commercialize the patented method. Now, the focus is on scaling the system so that it can handle emissions at the level produced by factories and power plants. That’s where RIT comes in.

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Mechanical engineer Catherine Swail, project lead at GIS, has been guiding a multidisciplinary team in building a mobile pilot unit. For the past nine months, her group has been working to move the concept beyond controlled laboratory conditions and toward a functioning system that can be tested at industrial partner sites.

“It’s not as simple as just doubling everything,” Swail said about the complexities of scaling up. “The goal is to stagger the timing of the reactions between the two reactors by adding semi-automated controls and measurement to enable more continuous carbon capture.”

The prototype they have assembled is far more than just a bigger version of a lab beaker experiment. The system now includes a custom flue gas conditioning setup with a chiller and heat exchanger, a second reactor, and an upgraded filtration press to handle higher volumes of slurry. The slurry itself—an abrasive, heavy mixture of solvent and industrial waste—has posed some of the most stubborn challenges.

“Material handling has been a challenge, especially with the slurry,” Swail explained. “You need specific types of pumps and compatible materials, and even small details like pressure and height differentials in the lines make a substantial difference. We’ve been testing and redesigning as we go, adding things like a compressed air line to clear blockages. It’s all part of the iterative design process.”

Beyond the mechanical adjustments, the RIT team also created new control software to make the system easier to run and monitor. Using LabVIEW integrated with a programmable logic controller, operators can oversee pumps, valves, and sensors from a computer interface, while the program records data for later analysis. All of this equipment has been installed inside a trailer, making the system mobile enough to be driven to test sites.

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The mobility aspect is crucial for Carbon To Stone, which plans to bring the unit directly to potential industrial partners. This way, the company can demonstrate carbon capture at facilities that produce large emissions, giving plant operators a firsthand look at how the technology might fit into their operations.

The partnership between RIT and Carbon To Stone was first sparked through Scale for ClimateTech, a program designed to support climate-focused startups. During a readiness assessment, RIT Technical Program Manager Mark Walluk identified the company’s technology as being mature enough for the next stage of development, and he recommended support from the COE-ASM team.

“Working with COE-ASM significantly accelerated our product development timeline,” said Sravanth Gadikota, CEO of Carbon To Stone Inc. “They bring a team with broad expertise in various disciplines, including mechanical, electrical, machining and project management. Further, the funding support from New York state agencies made it possible for us to access such incredible skills, right here in Upstate New York. Working with this team is a no-brainer.”

Funding has played a central role in pushing the project forward. The New York State Department of Economic Development has supported the work, enabling COE-ASM to dedicate staff and resources to the effort.

“New York state funding allows the Center of Excellence to offset the cost of helping companies advance their green technologies,” Walluk noted. “It’s very rewarding to help startups like Carbon To Stone on their journey to bring new and impactful technology to the market.”

For industry, the value proposition of this innovation is clear. Companies could take waste materials that might otherwise sit unused, combine them with CO₂ from their own smokestacks, and transform both into a new, useful product. In doing so, they would not only reduce emissions but also create marketable construction materials and potentially earn carbon credits. The dual benefits of compliance and new revenue streams make the technology particularly appealing.

Looking ahead, the real test will be whether the prototype can demonstrate success at scale—capturing tons of carbon dioxide each year, instead of mere grams in a lab experiment. If it succeeds, the technology could become a cornerstone of decarbonization strategies, especially for heavy industries where cutting emissions at the source has proven difficult.

The road from discovery to deployment is rarely straightforward. As Swail’s team continues refining pumps, controls, and system layouts, each small adjustment inches the project closer to commercial viability. The broader climate community will be watching closely, hopeful that this Upstate New York collaboration can help rewrite the playbook for carbon capture.