Carbon-neutral granite-based concrete finds use in towering NYC skyscraper

A new type of carbon-neutral concrete has been commercially used for the first time, in a high-profile skyscraper being built in Manhattan. The binder utilized in the concrete is made of granite instead of traditional greenhouse-gas-emitting limestone … Continue reading Carbon-neutral granite-based concrete finds use in towering NYC skyscraper

Cheap heat-storing ‘firebricks’ projected to save industries trillions

Transitioning to 100% renewable energy globally would be cheaper and simpler using firebricks, a form of thermal energy storage with roots in the Bronze Age, to produce most of the heat needed for industrial processes, according to a new Stanford study… Continue reading Cheap heat-storing ‘firebricks’ projected to save industries trillions

Carbon-capturing concrete alternative driven by photosynthesis

A new material tackles the carbon problem of concrete production and usage by employing a pretty unusual workforce: cyanobacteria. The bio-cement these micro-organisms help to produce harnesses a process that’s existed in nature for 3.5 billion years.C… Continue reading Carbon-capturing concrete alternative driven by photosynthesis

Long-life low-carbon concrete switches 80% of its cement for coal ash

Coal ash is abundant around coal-fired power stations. In fact, that might be considerably understating things – globally, power stations produce around 1.2 billion tonnes annually, and in Australia coal ash accounts for nearly 20% of all waste. It’s a… Continue reading Long-life low-carbon concrete switches 80% of its cement for coal ash

Climate alchemy: Team turns carbon dioxide into super-strong fibers

In an effort to mitigate human-caused climate warming, scientists are focused on ways to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. One of the more novel ways to do this has just been announced by scientists at the Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) … Continue reading Climate alchemy: Team turns carbon dioxide into super-strong fibers

Revolutionary “true zero carbon” cement uses electrolysis, not furnaces

Traditional concrete manufacturing processes result in a ton of CO2 for every ton of cement produced – and since we’re talking about somewhere around 4.1 billion tons globally just in 2022 – more than half of that in China alone – cement is a massive c… Continue reading Revolutionary “true zero carbon” cement uses electrolysis, not furnaces

New recipe makes concrete that absorbs more CO2 than it emits

Concrete is one of the most common materials on Earth, thanks to its high strength and low cost – but it’s also one of the largest single sources of carbon dioxide emissions. Engineers at Washington State University (WSU) have developed a new method fo… Continue reading New recipe makes concrete that absorbs more CO2 than it emits

Factory-sized facility being built to produce carbon-negative concrete

Concrete has been used in construction for thousands of years, it’s everywhere. But its production is a major contributor to global carbon emissions, and we’ve seen much research aimed at reducing its environmental impact. One such project spun out of … Continue reading Factory-sized facility being built to produce carbon-negative concrete

Green new concrete recycles building waste and captured CO2

Concrete is the most widely used building material in the world, but it comes at a huge environmental cost. Engineers in Japan have developed a new technique to make concrete by recycling waste concrete and combining it with captured carbon dioxide.Con… Continue reading Green new concrete recycles building waste and captured CO2

Novel cement uses discarded clay to cut carbon footprint by two thirds

As a widely used material across the globe, cement has a massive environmental footprint and accounts for around eight percent of our CO2 emissions, but scientists hope to eat into this problem by making tweaks to the recipe. A research team has now co… Continue reading Novel cement uses discarded clay to cut carbon footprint by two thirds