Concrete, according to one study, is the second most used material in the world after water. It also accounts for 8% of all planet-overheating pollution. In order to reduce that second statistic, one California-based startup has developed an inventive new method of reducing carbon dioxide emissions during the concrete manufacturing process.
Fortera's proprietary technology is able to harvest carbon dioxide exhaust from the kilns in which concrete is made, and, instead of simply releasing it into the air, redirects it back into the cement-making process, the AP reported.
The technology is about to be put to use for the first time in a commercial setting, at one of the largest cement plants in the western United States, located in Redding, California. Initially, the plant will use a Fortera blend that reduces carbon pollution by about 10%, although the company also produces blends that reduce carbon by 40-50% and 70%, setting the stage for even cleaner cement manufacturing in the future.
The process is somewhat similar to that of another startup in Australia that is building a plant that integrates carbon capture into the manufacturing process.
New technologies like these should be welcomed by the cement industry, which has struggled to limit its own pollution even in the face of mounting criticism.
Planet-overheating pollution from cement manufacturing is "an existential threat to the world and for our industry," said Mike Ireland, president and CEO of the Portland Cement Association, the national trade association for U.S. cement manufacturers.
For those with a vested interest in cement manufacturing, cleaning up the process and making it more planet-friendly is surely more attractive than the alternative: gradually phasing out cement in favor of less polluting construction materials. Recent advancements in that field have included skyscrapers made out of wood, Ferrock, and even bricks made out of sugarcane.
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