Scientists say they’ve found a way to recycle cement from demolished concrete buildings.Cement is the modern world’s most common construction material, but it is also a huge source of planet-warming gas emissions. That is because it’s made by heating limestone up to very high temperatures by burning fossil fuels. Recycling cement would massively reduce its carbon footprint. Researchers say that if they switched to electric-powered furnaces, and used renewable energy like wind and solar rather than fossil fuels, that could mean no greenhouse gases would be released at all.And that would be a big deal. Cement forms the foundation of the modern economy, both literally and metaphorically.It is what binds the sand and aggregate in concrete together, and concrete is the most widely used material on the planet after water.It is also a major driver of climate change. If cement was a country, it would be the third biggest source of emissions after China and the US, responsible for 7.5% of human-made CO2.The problem is the material’s uniquely polluting chemistry.It is made by heating limestone to up 1600 Celsius in giant kilns powered by fossil fuels.Those emissions are just the start. The heat is used to drive carbon dioxide from the limestone molecules, leaving a residue of cement.Add both these sources of pollution together and it is estimated that about a tonne of carbon dioxide is produced for every tonne of cement.The team of scientists, from Cambridge University, has found a neat way to sidestep those emissions.It exploits the fact that you can reactivate used cement by exposing it to high temperatures again.The …
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[mwai_chat context=”Let’s have a discussion about this article:nnScientists say they’ve found a way to recycle cement from demolished concrete buildings.Cement is the modern world’s most common construction material, but it is also a huge source of planet-warming gas emissions. That is because it’s made by heating limestone up to very high temperatures by burning fossil fuels. Recycling cement would massively reduce its carbon footprint. Researchers say that if they switched to electric-powered furnaces, and used renewable energy like wind and solar rather than fossil fuels, that could mean no greenhouse gases would be released at all.And that would be a big deal. Cement forms the foundation of the modern economy, both literally and metaphorically.It is what binds the sand and aggregate in concrete together, and concrete is the most widely used material on the planet after water.It is also a major driver of climate change. If cement was a country, it would be the third biggest source of emissions after China and the US, responsible for 7.5% of human-made CO2.The problem is the material’s uniquely polluting chemistry.It is made by heating limestone to up 1600 Celsius in giant kilns powered by fossil fuels.Those emissions are just the start. The heat is used to drive carbon dioxide from the limestone molecules, leaving a residue of cement.Add both these sources of pollution together and it is estimated that about a tonne of carbon dioxide is produced for every tonne of cement.The team of scientists, from Cambridge University, has found a neat way to sidestep those emissions.It exploits the fact that you can reactivate used cement by exposing it to high temperatures again.The …nnDiscussion:nn” ai_name=”RocketNews AI: ” start_sentence=”Can I tell you more about this article?” text_input_placeholder=”Type ‘Yes'”]
