Three cement blocks exit a fabrication machine.
UCLA/CO2Concrete

Carbon-capturing cement

Cement production is a major contribution to greenhouse gas emissions. According to the NRDC, cement production is "responsible for about one-quarter of all industrial emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) and roughly 7-8% of global CO2 emissions." Most of the emissions are not produced during combustion, but chemical reactions in the manufacturing process. A variety of companies are developing techniques to reduce carbon-intensity of cement production at multiple stages of the process, as well as capturing and sequestering carbon—often from the plant's own flue gases— in the cement itself through a process known as mineralization. Carbon180, a research group, sees a market of up to $1.3 trillion for carbon-capturing cement, and the technical possibility for net-negative concrete products on the horizon.

This points towards a future where, combined with other techniques, the construction of new buildings could actually work towards reduce the overall concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere, rather than contributing directly to its increase.

Source: nrdc.org
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Construction Tech
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decarbonization
Construction Tech
Building Tech