Making Cement The Way Coral Does It: Out Of Thin Air

From Fast Company
Biomineralization expert Brent Constantz of Stanford University got inspiration from the way corals build reefs to make a new type of cement for buildings. The process of making this cement actually removes carbon dioxide--a greenhouse gas, thought to cause global warming--from the air. The company Constantz founded, called Calera, has a demonstration plant on California's Monterrey Bay that takes waste CO2 gas from a local power plant and dissolves it into seawater to form carbonate, which mixes with calcium in the seawater and creates a solid. It's how corals form their skeletons, and how Constantz creates cement.

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Recycled Aggregate for Carbon Neutral Concrete

From Sustainable Construction Blog
With the development of environmentally conscious construction projects across the world, there are still many demands of building materials that today’s technologies have not yet satisfied.  Looking at the two main structural building materials, steel and concrete, one in particular lacks characteristics of carbon neutrality.  While steel is nearing full recycled production, concrete remains a very carbon intensive process.  The main contributor to this trait is portland cement.  Portland cement exhausts sulfates, soot and nitrogen oxides when it is created (Chandra 518).  In addition, natural aggregate from raw mined material contributes to concrete’s carbon consumption.  These two aspects of concrete are in need of sustainable remediation in order for carbon neutral projects to allow its use in generous quantities. 

    

Using Returned Concrete to Make Blocks