Breakthrough Innovation: Carbon Neutral Eco-Friendly Cement From Algae
Every year, about 2 gigatons (2,000,000,000,000) of carbon dioxide are released into our atmosphere due to the production and use of cement. The United States Environmental Protection Agency EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) has published a report on this. According to them, cement is number 3 among the 10 biggest sources of pollution from industries.
Breakthrough Innovation: Carbon Neutral Eco-Friendly Cement From Algae
However, a group of researchers claim that a large amount of carbon emissions from cement can be stopped quickly. Therefore, instead of conventional cement, a type of organic cement made from microalgae or “microalgae” should be used. This cement made from organic matter is called ‘biogenic cement’.
A team of researchers at the University of Colorado Boulder has developed this carbon-neutral method of producing Portland cement. Researchers from the US National Renewable Energy Laboratory and the University of North Carolina Wilmington helped them in the research. Cement will be made from organically produced limestone in this method.
Let’s know more about this carbon-neutral and eco-friendly cement.
Conventional Cement Vs Cement Made From Organic Limestone
Concrete is made from portland cement, water and gravel. Interestingly, concrete is the second most used material worldwide after water. Be it in America, Europe or Asia, construction work is impossible without concrete and especially Portland cement.
Highlighting the importance of concrete, the study’s lead researcher and professor at the University of Colorado Boulder, Will Sruber, said, “Concrete is the most manufactured product of anything in the world. It means it touches everyone’s life.”
Unfortunately, a large amount of limestone is burned during the commercial manufacture of Portland cement. It emits a huge amount of carbon. Moreover, the air around the place where cement is manufactured becomes polluted. The burning of limestone during the manufacture of cement releases pollutants and toxic gases into the surrounding air.
During a trip to Thailand in 2017, Professor Sruber came up with a solution to this problem. There he found abundant natural calcium carbonate accumulated around the coral reef. He knew that limestone is made of calcium carbonate. It occurs to him that instead of mining limestone, it can be produced naturally. He thought, “If nature can produce limestone, why can’t we?”
After returning to the United States, Sruber and his research team decided to produce a tiny aquatic algae called ‘coccolithophores’. These species of algae produce limestone through organic processes. And to do that, these tiny algae accumulate calcium carbonate during photosynthesis.
The mineral limestone takes millions of years to form underground. But the researchers observed that limestone is formed in a short period of time through organic processes called ‘coccolithophores’.
Coccolithophores can produce calcium carbonate in less time than the coral reefs Professor Sruber observed while in Thailand. Moreover, only dissolved carbon-dioxide and sunlight are needed to produce limestone organically in seawater. Again, these tiny algae can survive in saltwater and freshwater bodies. Therefore, it is possible to use them to produce limestone anywhere in the world.
Algae-Grown Limestone Has A Promising Future
Making limestone from ‘coccolithophores’ is very convenient. Researchers claim that only 20 million acres of water will be needed to meet the cement demand of the entire United States with the new method of cement. Coccolithophores will grow naturally in this reservoir. This amount of land is only 0.5% of the total land area of the United States.
Making cement from organic limestone does not emit carbon, but rather stores more free carbon from nature. These tiny aquatic algae absorb carbon dioxide from the environment. Then it turns that carbon dioxide into calcium carbonate. That is, the use of concrete with this cement made from algae can usher in a new era in the construction industry.
According to Prof. Sruber, “It is high time to address this problem affecting the cement industry. We believe, if not the best solution, it is one of the best solutions. This is how the cement and concrete industry can solve the carbon problem.”
Professor Schruber was awarded the National Science Foundation Career Award in 2020 for this discovery. Recently, Sruber and his fellow researchers received a 3.2 million US dollar grant from the US Department of Energy. In addition, this research group is also working with private companies for research and production of organic limestone.
Professor Sruber and his colleagues believe that this organic material made from algae can be used instead of the mineral limestone. And it will protect the environment of the whole world.
