New green cement to cut out globe-warming CO2 emissions
A cement made of magnesium silicates in place of limestone can absorb, over its lifecycle, around 0.6 tonnes of CO2 per tonne of cement and cut out greenhouse gas emissions.
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 carbon dioxide as it burns. But, until now, no one has found a large-scale way to tackle this fundamental problem.
The new cement, based on magnesium silicates, not only requires much less heating, it also absorbs large amounts of carbon dioxide as it hardens, making it carbon negative. The new environmentally friendly formulation means the cement industry could change from being a “significant emitter to a significant absorber of CO2,” says Nikolaos Vlasopoulos, chief scientist at London-based Novacem, whose invention has garnered support and funding from industry and environmentalists.
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 carbon dioxide as it burns. But, until now, no one has found a large-scale way to tackle this fundamental problem.
The new cement, based on magnesium silicates, not only requires much less heating, it also absorbs large amounts of carbon dioxide as it hardens, making it carbon negative. The new environmentally friendly formulation means the cement industry could change from being a “significant emitter to a significant absorber of CO2,” says Nikolaos Vlasopoulos, chief scientist at London-based Novacem, whose invention has garnered support and funding from industry and environmentalists.
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Labels: co2, greenhouse-gases
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