{"id":81298,"date":"2023-03-28T05:04:49","date_gmt":"2023-03-28T05:04:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/globalroadtechnology.com\/\/?p=81298"},"modified":"2023-06-23T05:55:33","modified_gmt":"2023-06-23T05:55:33","slug":"concrete-needs-a-rock-solid-future","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/globalroadtechnology.com\/concrete-needs-a-rock-solid-future\/","title":{"rendered":"Concrete Needs a Rock-Solid Future"},"content":{"rendered":"

Concrete remains the world\u2019s most heavily-used building material.\u00a0<\/span>And while it\u2019s not going anywhere, it\u2019s a dirty and expensive game to be involved in.<\/span><\/p>\n

Demand for concrete has tripled over the past 20 years, while its surrounding economy has become one of the most significant contributors to carbon dioxide emissions.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Often confused, cement is actually an ingredient of concrete. <\/span>And as companies shift towards a net-zero, concrete is getting a hard look over.<\/span><\/p>\n

Prices for a metric tonne of carbon dioxide have reached \u20ac100 in Europe, a<\/span>nd the price of landfill from construction and demolition waste (CDW) is affecting the entire building industry \u2013 exceeding \u20ac100 per metric ton.\u00a0<\/span>This means the total value at risk from carbon dioxide in landfill could reach approximately \u20ac210 billion by 2050.<\/span><\/p>\n

With the demand to remain steady, building and construction heavyweights need to act now to find alternative options to decrease concrete costs and carbon dioxide emissions.<\/span><\/p>\n

Bacteria and Concrete: A match made in heaven?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Believe it or not, bacteria could hold the answer to cleaning up the world’s concrete industry.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

At least, some companies in the US are betting-big that it does.<\/span><\/p>\n

Responsible for 8% of global CO2, cement manufacturing is due for a rethink.<\/span><\/p>\n

As one of the world’s most common and critical materials, concrete’s future is solid, but it could also be bright thanks to innovations in how it’s made.<\/span><\/p>\n

Currently, companies in the US are testing a type of ‘brewed’ concrete that uses photosynthesising microbes to do the work that once required heat.<\/span><\/p>\n

And it’s this heat that generates CO2.<\/span><\/p>\n

So far, the tests are promising, and while this clean concrete is costly to produce, subsidies for cleaner building materials could make all the difference to profitability.<\/span><\/p>\n

With much faster curing times and limiting CO2 to around 1\/10th that regular concrete, the new material could also be provided in a ready mix solution, only requiring water to activate.<\/span><\/p>\n

In one variant, the bacteria can activate itself to fill cracks that form after the cement mixture is set.<\/span><\/p>\n

A game changer.<\/span><\/p>\n

If all this comes together in a scalable solution, it will improve the face of the concrete industry.<\/span><\/p>\n

(To learn more, you can check out two companies at the cutting edge, Prometheus Materiels and Biomason.)<\/span><\/p>\n

So is clean concrete for real?<\/span><\/p>\n

The Future Of Concrete<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Many new-age concrete solutions, from fuels, secondary cementitious materials, precast production, and various new technologies and production processes \u2014 have a sustainable impact but with limitations.<\/span><\/p>\n

Circular concrete technologies include:<\/b><\/p>\n