Green Cement?

September 10, 2008 9:17 am SHawke Environment, In the News

Cement Pouring

With the latest advances in biomimicry, scientists have created a cement manufacturing process, known as the Calera process, that incorporates waste CO2 emissions. The process mimics the natural formation of sea corals, using spent CO2 as a raw material. The method will consume about a half ton of CO2 for every ton of cement.

The Current State of Cement Emissions

Cement is currently a huge source of greenhouse gas emissions, making up about 5% of Earth’s emissions, making it the third largest source of pollution by greenhouse gases in the United States. For every one ton of cement produced, the equivalent of about one ton of CO2 is emitted into the atmosphere. You can see why this might be an issue.

Studying the Environment to Save the Environment

Constantz created the technology for the new cement manufacturing process by observing nature. Sea coral uses calcium, magnesium and seawater to create marine cement. Mimicking the process, Constantz turns CO2 into carbonic acid and then makes carbonate. All they need is seawater and pollution, which aren’t exactly limited resources.

Preventing CO2 Emissions

The process prevents CO2 emissions by eliminating the heating of limestone, a necessary process in the traditional production of cement. It also sequesters CO2 in the actual cement itself. The seawater byproduct is stripped of calcium and magnesium but safe to be dumped back into the ocean.