Carbon capture mineralization is one of the most promising — yet underused — tools in the fight against climate change. Knut Hagenes, CEO and Founder of CCM (Carbon Capture Mineralization), is betting his career on it. With eight years in the carbon capture field, a string of successful companies behind him, and a technology that converts CO2 into stable minerals at a fraction of competitors' costs, Hagenes is positioning CCM as the company that could finally make CCUS scalable.
What Makes CCM's Carbon Capture Mineralization Different
Most carbon capture approaches focus on storing CO2 underground in gaseous or liquid form — a solution that carries long-term leakage risks and high costs. CCM takes a fundamentally different approach: mineralizing captured CO2 into calcium carbonates, which are chemically stable, safe to store, and can be reused in industrial applications.
"We have breakthrough technologies for CO2 capture and mineralizing CO2 to stable minerals, i.e. calcium carbonates. We do it at a very low cost compared with other companies," Hagenes said.
This dual benefit — permanent CO2 removal combined with a recoverable material — distinguishes CCM from conventional CCUS providers and gives it a meaningful commercial edge.
Knut Hagenes: Eight Years at the Frontier of Carbon Capture
Hagenes did not arrive at carbon capture mineralization by accident. He has spent nearly a decade scaling carbon technologies, raising substantial funding, and learning where conventional approaches fall short.
"I have been working with carbon capture technologies for the last eight years, has raised substantial funding, and scaled up different technologies," he said.
That track record extends beyond CCM. Before founding the company, Hagenes built and exited two businesses before the age of thirty — an achievement that reflects both his commercial instincts and his capacity to execute under pressure.
From CO2 to Calcium Carbonate: The Science of Mineralization
CCM's core technology converts carbon dioxide from its natural gaseous state into a stable mineral form. The resulting calcium carbonates are inert, non-toxic, and suitable for reuse in construction, industrial processes, and other sectors.
This approach addresses one of the central weaknesses of traditional carbon capture: the energy and infrastructure cost of keeping CO2 compressed underground indefinitely. By converting it into a solid mineral, CCM sidesteps that challenge entirely while simultaneously creating a product with real-world utility.
The result is a solution that not only lowers carbon footprint but also offers a sustainable and affordable pathway — one that CCM argues no other company currently matches at scale.
A Mission to Lead Global CCUS
Hagenes is explicit about his ambitions. Rather than building a niche technology firm, he wants CCM to become the dominant force in carbon capture, utilization, and storage worldwide.
"I am on a huge mission right now by making CCM the leading CCUS company in the world by making a difference in reducing global emission," he said.
That mission is grounded in a sharp understanding of what the climate crisis demands: not incremental improvement, but wholesale transformation of how businesses account for and eliminate their carbon emissions.
Ethics and Transparency as Business Principles
Alongside his commercial drive, Hagenes places a strong emphasis on ethical conduct — an unusual emphasis in an industry where greenwashing claims are common.
"I have high ethics and morals. I also do business openly and transparently. I say what I mean and do what I say," he said.
That stance reflects a deliberate effort to build trust — with investors, partners, and the broader public — in a sector where credibility is hard to establish and easy to lose.
What's Next for CCM
Hagenes and the CCM team continue to develop and scale their carbon capture mineralization technology across European markets and beyond. As global pressure mounts on corporations to reduce emissions and as carbon credit markets mature, the commercial case for CCM's low-cost mineralization approach only strengthens.
Knut Hagenes stands as proof that visionary thinking, backed by technical depth and entrepreneurial discipline, can turn one of the world's most intractable environmental problems into a viable — and profitable — solution.
For more information, visit www.carboncapture.no.
