{"id":47816,"date":"2024-05-23T15:15:21","date_gmt":"2024-05-23T14:15:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.innovationnewsnetwork.com\/?p=47816"},"modified":"2024-05-23T15:15:21","modified_gmt":"2024-05-23T14:15:21","slug":"cambridge-researchers-pioneer-cement-recycling-method-for-green-concrete-production","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.innovationnewsnetwork.com\/cambridge-researchers-pioneer-cement-recycling-method-for-green-concrete-production\/47816\/","title":{"rendered":"Cambridge researchers pioneer cement recycling method for green concrete production"},"content":{"rendered":"
This novel approach to low-emission concrete leverages electric arc furnaces (EAFs), commonly used for steel recycling, to also recycle cement\u2014the most carbon-intensive component of concrete.<\/p>\n
Described by researchers as ‘an absolute miracle\u2019, this innovative process substitutes used cement for lime flux, a material traditionally used in steel recycling to eliminate impurities.<\/p>\n
Typically, lime flux becomes a waste byproduct known as slag. By replacing it with recycled cement, the end product is a recycled material suitable for new sustainable concrete production.<\/p>\n
Concrete, composed of sand, gravel, water, and cement, derives the majority of its emissions from the cement despite it being a minor component by volume.<\/p>\n
Cement production involves clinkering, a process where limestone and other raw materials are heated to approximately 1,450\u00b0C, releasing significant CO\u2082 as limestone transforms into lime.<\/p>\n
Concrete ranks as the second most-used material globally, just behind water, and accounts for roughly 7.5% of human-caused CO\u2082 emissions.<\/p>\n
The challenge of reducing emissions from concrete while maintaining global supply is a significant obstacle in the quest for decarbonisation.<\/p>\n
While alternatives like fly ash can replace about half the cement in concrete, global supplies are insufficient to meet the annual demand of approximately four billion tonnes.<\/p>\n
The new cement recycling technique incurs no additional costs for concrete or steel production.<\/a><\/p>\n Moreover, it substantially reduces emissions from both industries by minimising the need for lime flux.<\/p>\n Recent trials conducted by the Materials Processing Institute demonstrated that recycled cement could be efficiently produced in an EAF, marking the first successful large-scale production of this kind.<\/p>\n