Concrete of the Future

Concrete of the Future

min read

 

Christina Thompson (Anchor, EarthxNews): Engineers in the UK have devised a new way of making low carbon concrete!

Researchers at the University of Cambridge say the method involves taking recycled cement powder and using it in place of the chemical mixture or flux that protects molten steel during the refining process. Scientists say the cement-based waste or slag created when steel is recycled is then siphoned off, cooled and turned back into the high-quality binder contained in Portland concrete.

The UK engineering team says the revolutionary method can be an emissions-free process if the furnace used to heat the steel and cement-based flux is powered by renewable electricity.

Cement is the key ingredient in concrete and responsible for about 90% of the material’s carbon emissions, according to industry analysts. But now researchers say the transformative solution developed in England could play a big role in the worldwide effort to achieve net zero emissions.