Carbon Dioxide Sequestration Through Innovative Cementitious Construction Materials: Strategic Relevance in the Context of the 2026 Global Energy Crisis

Five classes of cementitious construction materials — accelerated carbonation curing (ACC) systems, geopolymers and alkali-activated materials (AAMs), recycled cement from construction and demolition waste, biochar-modified composites, and reactive magnesia cements — offer the dual capacity to sequester CO₂ while substantially reducing energy consumption relative to ordinary Portland cement (OPC). This paper provides an updated scientific review of each class, drawing on literature published through early 2026, and maps their comparative strategic positioning across three dimensions: energy cost advantage, potential sequestration scale, and current deployment readiness. The convergence of the 2026 Strait of Hormuz energy crisis — which has raised construction material production costs by up to 30% — with the accelerating trajectory of global warming creates an unprecedented economic and environmental imperative for this materials portfolio. Their lower energy intensity in production makes them simultaneously more cost-competitive and more aligned with decarbonisation goals precisely when these incentives are most powerful. The paper also examines systemic barriers to large-scale deployment and evaluates the regulatory landscape, focusing on the revised EU Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD 2024, EU 2024/1275), the EU Taxonomy Regulation, and the persistent absence of mandatory embodied carbon disclosure requirements for real estate investors. The analysis identifies recycled cement and reactive MgO cement as occupying the strongest strategic position when energy cost advantage and sequestration scale are considered jointly, while ACC offers the clearest near-term deployment pathway given its compatibility with existing industrial infrastructure.