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Green Cement Absorbs Carbon
Peace Corps Online writes "Concrete accounts for more than 5 percent of human-caused carbon dioxide emissions annually, mostly because cement, the active ingredient in concrete, is made by baking limestone and clay powders under intense heat that is generally produced by the burning of fossil fuels. Now Scientific American reports that British start-up company Novacem has developed a 'carbon-negative' cement that absorbs more carbon dioxide than it emits over its life cycle. The trick is to make cement from magnesium silicates rather than calcium carbonate, or limestone, since this material does not emit CO2 in manufacture and absorbs the greenhouse gas as it ages. 'The building and construction industry knows it has got to do radical things to reduce its carbon footprint and cement companies understand there is not a lot they can do without a technology breakthrough,' says Novacem Chairman Stuart Evans. Novacem estimates that for every ton of Portland cement replaced by its product, around three-quarters of a ton of CO2 is saved, turning the cement industry from a big emitter to a big absorber of carbon. Major cement makers have been working hard to reduce CO2 emissions by investing in modern kilns and using as little carbon-heavy fuel as possible, but reductions to date have been limited. Novacem has raised $1.7M to start a pilot plant that should be up and running in northern England in 2011."
CO2 is lighter than air retard.
Well, we better start cutting down some more rainforests and start pouring more swimming pools and parking lots if we are ever going to beat this global warming thing!
"I say we take off, nuke the site from orbit. It's the only way to be sure."
Frankly, the mention of the term "carbon footprint" puts this squarely in the "hype" category.
Obama?
Who cares twerp?
If it absorbs and keeps Co2, then it will weight more over time.
Duh
NO SIG
What planet are you on, moron?
Look MS boy, if CO2 was lighter than air, it would RISE to the top. The reason is that air is nothing more than an ocean of gases. The best example is Helium and Hydrogen. BOTH rise to the top of ocean due to their being lighter. They will also slowly escape our planet. OTH, had CO2 been lighter than N2, then plants would not exist and to be honest, we would not breath (our rate of breaths is determined by amounts of CO2, not O2).
What amazes me is the total lack of logic on a site devoted to software. Makes me wonder about how many bugs there really are out there. I know that it is a lot, but I am starting to suspect that even my worst fears do not do it justice.