Concrete and cement actually make up about 8% of our carbon footprint. But we can't really stop using a material that has been valuable for hundreds of years (Did you know the Coliseum is a concrete structure).
Engineers at Washington State University may have a solution. The solution is biochar. This has been tried before, but it dropped the strength of the concrete too much.
Their solution "washes" the biochar in the waste water from cement production. The result is still slightly less strong than traditional concrete, but at levels where this can be compensated for. Biochar is made from organic waste, so it locks the carbon in that waste into the concrete. It also sucks about 23% of its weight from the air while making the concrete.
Hence.
Carbon negative. Concrete that locks down more carbon than is made producing it. It also makes use of the waste water, which is highly alkaline and can sometimes cause problems.
They're now looking for builders to help them scale this up. Storing carbon in the built environment is potentially awesome. If used in pavement, the carbon will be sequestered for 30 years. If used in a bridge, the potential is 75 years or even longer.
This reminds me of the spam I keep getting where using the right type of concrete will help me attract girls...
https://news.wsu.edu/press-release/2023/04/18/researchers-develop-carbon-negative-concrete/
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