Canadian environmental consultants, Carbon Sense Solutions, may have just developed a carbon storage method that could reduce global CO2 emissions by as much as 1% a year. Their new method called, CO2 Accelerated Concrete Curing, accelerates the curing process and stores carbon dioxide at the same time. This method applies only to precast concrete, but has the potential to make a huge impact on the world.
The method, also known as concrete carbonation, actually occurs naturally as concrete cures, but up until now has not been considered economical. Carbon Sense Solutions says it has developed a faster way to store more CO2 in concrete, using off the shelf technology, which uses dramatically less energy. They also claim the concrete is more durable, more resistant to shrinking and cracking, and less permeable to water.
As concrete is used more than any other man made material on earth, (the Chinese alone consume 40%!), and concrete is responsible for upwards of 5% of global CO2 emissions, any amount of increase carbon storage in concrete would make a difference. So if Carbon Sense can really deliver as they say it can in Technology Review, the process “has the potential to sequester or avoid 20% of all cement-industry carbon dioxide emissions.” That’s some carbon sucking concrete.
Via Clean Break
5 Responses to “New Precast Concrete Sucks CO2 Out of the Air”
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Wow! What a fantastic method of removing CO2. If it really works of course. I sure hope so!
I wonder how the additional CO2 in the walls will effect Indoor Air Quality.
[...] folks at Inhabitat never fail to deliver on the cool factor, and their recent post on concrete that actually suck CO2 out of the air is no exception. The process is called concrete carbonation, and while it occurs naturally, it [...]
It sounds like scientists try to emulate natural properties of wood which can absorb and store CO2. But when wood is burnt it releases CO2 back into atmosphere. Is it correct? Along the same lines it’s probably true for precast concrete. Correct me if I’m wrong please.
I think that this article needs to more explicit about the fact that concrete CREATES a loooot of C02, mainly from chemical processes necessary to create and cure the material. So this invention isnt really good for the environment per say, its just less bad…