Electric recycling of Portland cement at scale. (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38778099/)

These scientists wanted to find a way to make cement production more environmentally friendly. Cement production releases a lot of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, which contributes to climate change. They came up with a new idea to use old cement that has already been used in buildings and recycle it to make new cement.

They found that by using the old cement paste as a substitute for some of the materials normally used in making new cement, they could reduce the carbon emissions from the process. They also discovered that by combining the old cement paste with other materials like clay and limestone, they could create a new type of cement that meets all the necessary requirements.

This new process not only helps reduce carbon emissions from cement production but also has the potential to reduce emissions from steel recycling, as the new cement can be used in place of some of the materials needed for recycling steel. By making these changes, the scientists believe that we can produce cement in a more sustainable way, without releasing harmful greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.

Dunant CF., Joseph S., Prajapati R., Allwood JM. Electric recycling of Portland cement at scale. Nature. 2024 May 22. doi: 10.1038/s41586-024-07338-8.