CAPTURING CARBON WITH CONCRETE

The world produces about 30 billion tons of concrete a year. Manufacturing cement produces an estimated 8% of global carbon emissions. Fortunately, concrete can soak up CO2 from the air over its lifetime, if very slowly. Titanium dioxide nanoparticles added to cement can make the resulting concrete stronger, and using the right amount in cement could double the amount of carbon dioxide concrete naturally sequesters in the same amount of time.

Source: Carlos Moro, Vito Francioso, and MirianVelay-Lizancos. Modification of CO₂ capture and pore structure of hardened cement paste made with nano-TiO₂ addition: Influence of water-to-cement ratio and CO₂ exposure age. Construction and Building Materials, 2021. 

www.anthropocenemagazine.org/2021/02/new-concrete-soaks-up-twice-the-carbon/