New CO2-Eating Cement Could Help Fight Global Warming
January 3, 2009 · Print This Article
The cement manufacturing process depends on burning vast amounts of coal and produces huge amounts of CO2, yet it’s one of the least-talked about sources of pollution. Treehugger has written about how dirty the cement industry really is in the past, and now they’re reporting that a new, green type of cement has been created. This cement isn’t just carbon neutral – an amazing feat in itself – it also absorbs tons of CO2.
From The Guardian, via Treehugger:
Making traditional cement results in greenhouse gas emissions from two sources: it requires intense heat, and so a lot of energy to heat up the ovens that cook the raw material, such as limestone. That then releases further CO2 as it burns. But, until now, noone has found a large-scale way to tackle this fundamental problem.
Novacem’s cement, based on magnesium silicates, not only requires much less heating, it also absorbs large amounts of CO2 as it hardens, making it carbon negative.
According to Novacem, its product can absorb, over its lifecycle, around 0.6 tonnes of CO2 per tonne of cement. This compares to carbon emissions of about 0.4 tonnes per of standard cement.
This new technology is already attracting the attention of the industry and investors. The only question that remains is whether the cement will perform as well as traditional cement, and used on a wide scale. If so, imagine how much good that could do for the fight against global warming – we’d actually be removing ton after ton of CO2 from the air. It’s an exciting thought – hopefully this technology will become popular around the world!
Link [The Guardian] + [Treehugger]
Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons
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This sounds like a great invention that could really make a difference. There are many industries that consume large amounts of electricity from coal burning power plants that generate large amounts of CO2 emmisions. The country needs to look at each one and find innovative solutions like this. My company is doing its part to help reduce energy consumption and promote renewable energy sources. Take a look at http://www.sre3.com to find out more.
The real challenge of course will be getting construction companies to adopt the new concrete. It’s a cut-throat business and if the magnesium silicate cement costs 20 cents more a bag it won’t gain widespread acceptance. This is such a fundamental solution to a major problem that it will need government support to push this either through public funding or through legisation.
I live in Texas, and we are always replacing roads. If this concrete lasts as long, or longer than regular concrete, then we may have a winner.