Carbon Capture Goes Commercial: How CCUS Is Rewriting the Cement and Admixtures Supply Chain in 2026
June 2026 marks an inflection point for the global construction chemicals industry. While headline growth remains steady — the Asia-Pacific market alone is projected to reach USD 36.27 billion in 2026 and scale to USD 51.79 billion by 2031 at a 6.14% CAGR (Mordor Intelligence, Bonafide Research) — the more consequential story is happening beneath the surface. Carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) has moved from pilot announcements to binding infrastructure contracts, and the resulting shift in cement supply chains is directly reshaping demand patterns for concrete admixtures, supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs), and downstream additives.
For cellulose ether, redispersible polymer powder (RDP), polycarboxylate (PCE) superplasticizer, and waterproofing admixture producers serving this market, the implications are immediate and quantifiable.
Holcim’s CHF 2 Billion CCUS Commitment and the Admixtures Tailwind
Holcim’s over CHF 2 billion committed to CCUS projects by 2030 is the single largest signal of where the cement-admixture interface is heading. As of early 2026, eight of Holcim’s large-scale CCUS projects have secured EU Innovation Fund support, targeting combined annual capture of 8 million tons of CO₂ (Enkiai).
The flagship GO 4 ZERO project in Belgium, developed with Air Liquide’s Cryocap™ oxy-combustion technology, will capture 1.1 million tons of CO₂ per year. Adjacent flagship programs include:
- OLYMPUS (Greece): €400 million investment, company-funded
- Saint-Pierre la Cour (France): €170 million grant under France’s €1.6 billion national CCUS support plan
- Peak Cluster (UK): £31 million private + £28.6 million government co-funding
- Carbon Hub CPT 01 (Romania): EU Innovation Fund recipient
Holcim’s January 2026 strategic investment in Norway’s Capsol Technologies — using hot potassium carbonate (HPC) capture technology, which is more energy-efficient and less corrosive than conventional amine solvents — diversifies the technology stack and signals deployment across multiple Holcim cement plants in the medium term.
Why does this matter for admixture producers? CCUS cement has fundamentally different rheology, setting behavior, and SCM substitution rates than ordinary Portland cement (OPC). As captured-CO₂ cement and biochar-based net-zero concrete (Holcim’s ECOPact line) scale up, demand is rising for:
- High-range PCE superplasticizers that maintain workability at low w/c ratios with elevated SCM content
- Viscosity-modifying cellulose ethers (HEMC, HPMC) that stabilize mixes with calcined clay and limestone blends
- Crystalline and pore-blocking waterproofing admixtures that compensate for the higher permeability of low-clinker cement
Waterproofing Admixtures: The Quiet Growth Engine
While CCUS captures the headlines, the waterproofing admixture segment continues to deliver the most consistent growth in the construction chemicals stack. The global market is forecast to grow from USD 4.8 billion in 2025 to USD 8.6 billion by 2035 at a 6.70% CAGR (TBRC, GII Research). China remains the single largest national market, with the IndexBox China Waterproofing Admixtures report (March 2026) characterizing the segment as “critical and dynamic” within the broader construction chemicals industry.
Three structural drivers are sustaining this trajectory through 2026:
- Infrastructure resilience mandates: Updated building codes in China, India, and the GCC now require integral waterproofing in tunnels, metro systems, basements, and water-retaining structures
- Repair and rehabilitation: The repair & rehabilitation sub-segment is growing at 8.1% CAGR, more than double the rate of new-build admixtures
- Dry-mix mortar integration: Single-component crystalline and hydrophobic admixtures are increasingly pre-blended into factory-produced tile adhesives, grouts, and renders
Top 10 market leaders profiled by Chemical Research Insight (May 2026) — including Sika, BASF Master Builders Solutions, GCP Applied Technologies, Mapei, and Kryton — are all expanding crystalline and polymer-modified product lines specifically designed for low-clinker and CCUS-derived cement systems.
Cellulose Ethers: Construction-Grade Demand Stays Strong, Pharma-Grade Outpaces
The global HPMC and cellulose ether market is bifurcating in 2026. Construction-grade cellulose ethers continue to anchor approximately 42% of total cellulose ether consumption, with the segment growing at roughly 5.4% CAGR. The faster growth, however, is in pharmaceutical-grade HPMC — used in capsule and controlled-release formulations — which is forecast to expand from USD 591 million in 2025 to USD 1.29 billion by 2035 at 9% CAGR.
For Hosechem’s core customer base, the practical takeaway is clear: the construction segment is not slowing down, but specification is shifting. Formulators are increasingly asking for:
- Higher-purity HEMC grades for thin-bed tile adhesives with extended open time
- Modified HPMC with enhanced sag resistance for vertical EIFS and render applications
- Low-dust, free-flowing grades optimized for automated dry-mix mortar production lines
Asia-Pacific remains the dominant production and consumption region, with Chinese and Indian capacity additions continuing through 2026. The 2026 global cellulose ether market is characterized by Asia-Pacific leadership in volume and EU/US leadership in high-purity, high-value grades (Landcel, 2026).
RDP: Mature Growth, Premium-Driven Innovation
The redispersible polymer powder market continues to grow at a measured 5.60% CAGR, with the global market valued at USD 1.97 billion and Asia-Pacific accounting for 45.55% of consumption (Expert Market Research, 2026). While the headline growth rate is modest, the value mix is shifting toward:
- VA-E (vinyl acetate-ethylene) and VA-VeoVa grades for premium tile adhesives and self-leveling compounds
- Hydrophobic RDP variants for exterior insulation systems and waterproofing mortars
- Bio-based and low-emission grades formulated to meet stricter VOC and indoor-air-quality standards
As dry-mix mortar continues to gain share over site-mixed alternatives — the global dry-mix mortar market was valued at USD 42.83 billion in 2026 and is growing at 6.4% CAGR — RDP demand is structurally protected even in a flat-volume construction environment.
PCE Superplasticizers: The Bio-Based Inflection
PCE superplasticizers remain the highest-growth segment in concrete admixtures, with the market expanding at 13.7% CAGR. The 2026 narrative is the commercial scale-up of bio-based PCE — produced from renewable feedstocks rather than conventional methacrylic acid — and PCE systems designed to deliver equivalent workability with up to 50% supplementary cementitious material (SCM) replacement.
This matters because SCM-heavy mixes (slag, fly ash, calcined clay, silica fume) are the lowest-cost decarbonization lever available to ready-mix producers. As cement becomes the more carbon-constrained input, the admixture’s job becomes harder: delivering fluidity, retention, and finishability in mixes that contain 50–70% supplementary materials. PCE producers who can solve this are positioned to capture disproportionate share through 2030.
What It Means for the Industry Through Year-End 2026
Three trends will dominate the second half of 2026:
- CCUS-derivative cement supply will require reformulated admixture packages; expect new product launches from Sika, BASF, and Mapei targeting this category in Q3/Q4 2026
- Waterproofing admixture demand will continue to outpace general admixture growth as infrastructure spending holds up in APAC and the Middle East
- Pharma-grade HPMC will continue to grow faster than construction-grade, providing margin uplift opportunities for producers with dual-grade capacity
At Hosechem, we are tracking each of these developments closely and adjusting our cellulose ether, RDP, and waterproofing admixture portfolios to match the formulation shifts we see in customer trials. The mid-2026 industry is not in a downturn — it is in a structural transition, and the winners will be the suppliers who treat formulation reformulation as an opportunity rather than a cost.
Source list: Mordor Intelligence (Asia-Pacific Construction Chemicals, January 2026), Bonafide Research (APAC Construction Chemicals Outlook 2031), Enkiai (Holcim CCUS Projects, June 2026), GII Research / TBRC (Waterproofing Admixture Global Market Report 2026), IndexBox (China Waterproofing Admixtures, March 2026), Chemical Research Insight (Top 10 Concrete Waterproofing Admixture Companies, May 2026), Expert Market Research (RDP Market 2026), Landcel (2026 Cellulose Ether Global Market Status), Holcim / Capsol / Air Liquide press releases (January–March 2026), MarketsandMarkets (Cellulose Ether & Derivatives Market 2026–2031).
For technical data sheets, formulation support, and samples of HPMC, HEMC, RDP, PCE superplasticizers, and crystalline waterproofing admixtures tailored to CCUS-compatible cement systems, contact the Hosechem technical team at hosechem.com/contact.