{"id":657802,"date":"2025-03-19T10:00:31","date_gmt":"2025-03-19T07:00:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/new-carbon-negative-material-could-make-concrete-and-cement-more-sustainable\/"},"modified":"2025-03-19T10:00:31","modified_gmt":"2025-03-19T07:00:31","slug":"new-carbon-negative-material-could-make-concrete-and-cement-more-sustainable","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/new-carbon-negative-material-could-make-concrete-and-cement-more-sustainable\/","title":{"rendered":"#New carbon-negative material could make concrete and cement more sustainable"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_85 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a4096a45a2c5\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a4096a45a2c5\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/new-carbon-negative-material-could-make-concrete-and-cement-more-sustainable\/#Seashell-inspired_science\" >Seashell-inspired science<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/new-carbon-negative-material-could-make-concrete-and-cement-more-sustainable\/#Dual_discoveries\" >Dual discoveries<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/new-carbon-negative-material-could-make-concrete-and-cement-more-sustainable\/#Storing_carbon_in_structures\" >Storing carbon in structures<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"article-gallery lightGallery\">\n<div data-thumb=\"https:\/\/scx1.b-cdn.net\/csz\/news\/tmb\/2025\/new-carbon-negative-ma.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/scx2.b-cdn.net\/gfx\/news\/hires\/2025\/new-carbon-negative-ma.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Holding half its weight in carbon dioxide, the material could replace sand in concrete and other construction materials while trapping greenhouse gas. Credit: Northwestern University\">\n<figure class=\"article-img\">\n            <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/scx1.b-cdn.net\/csz\/news\/800a\/2025\/new-carbon-negative-ma.jpg\" alt=\"New carbon-negative material could make concrete and cement more sustainable\" title=\"Holding half its weight in carbon dioxide, the material could replace sand in concrete and other construction materials while trapping greenhouse gas. Credit: Northwestern University\" width=\"800\" height=\"530\"\/><figcaption class=\"text-darken text-low-up text-truncate-js text-truncate mt-3\">\n                Holding half its weight in carbon dioxide, the material could replace sand in concrete and other construction materials while tr<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>ing greenhouse gas. Credit: Northwestern University<br \/>\n            <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Using seawater, electricity and carbon dioxide (CO<sub>2<\/sub>), Northwestern University scientists have developed a new carbon-negative building material.<\/p>\n<p>As Earth&#8217;s climate continues to warm, researchers around the globe are exploring ways to capture CO<sub>2<\/sub> from the air and store it deep underground. While this approach has multiple climate benefits, it does not maximize the value of the enormous amounts of atmospheric CO<sub>2<\/sub>.<\/p>\n<p>Now, Northwestern&#8217;s new strategy addresses this challenge by locking away CO<sub>2<\/sub> permanently and turning it into valuable materials, which can be used to manufacture concrete, cement, plaster and paint. The process to generate the carbon-negative materials also releases hydrogen gas\u2014a clean fuel with various applications, including transportation.<\/p>\n<p>The study, &#8220;Electrodeposition of carbon-trapping minerals in seawater for variable electrochemical potentials and carbon dioxide injections,&#8221; was published in the journal <i>Advanced Sustainable Systems.<\/i><\/p>\n<p>&#8220;We have developed a new approach that allows us to use seawater to create carbon-negative construction materials,&#8221; said Northwestern&#8217;s Alessandro Rotta Loria, who led the study.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Cement, concrete, paint and plasters are customarily composed of or derived from calcium- and magnesium-based minerals, which are often sourced from aggregates\u2013\u2013what we call sand. Currently, sand is sourced through mining from mountains, riverbeds, coasts and the ocean floor. In collaboration with Cemex, we have devised an alternative approach to source sand\u2014not by digging into the Earth but by harnessing electricity and CO<sub>2<\/sub> to grow sand-like materials in seawater.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Loria is the Louis Berger Assistant Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Northwestern&#8217;s McCormick School of Engineering. Jeffrey Lopez, an assistant professor of chemical and biological engineering at McCormick, served as a key co-author on the study. Co-advised by Loria and Lopez, other Northwestern contributors include Nishu Devi, a postdoctoral fellow and lead author; Xiaohui Gong and Daiki Shoji, Ph.D. students; and Amy Wagner, a former graduate student.<\/p>\n<p>The study also benefited from the contributions of key representatives from the Global R&amp;D department of Cemex, a global building materials company dedicated to sustainable construction. This work is part of a broader collaboration between Northwestern and Cemex.<\/p>\n<p>                                                                                                        <!-- TechX - News - In-article --><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Seashell-inspired_science\"><\/span>Seashell-inspired science<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>The new study builds on previous work from Loria&#8217;s lab <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2024-06-simple-carbon-dioxide-concrete-compromising.html\" target=\"_blank\">to store CO<sub>2<\/sub> long term in concrete<\/a> and <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2024-08-coastal-erosion-electricity.html\" target=\"_blank\">to electrify seawater to cement<\/a> marine soils. Now, he leverages insights from those two projects by injecting CO<sub>2<\/sub>while applying electricity to seawater in the lab.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-gallery lightGallery\">\n<div data-thumb=\"https:\/\/scx1.b-cdn.net\/csz\/news\/tmb\/2025\/new-carbon-negative-ma-1.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/scx2.b-cdn.net\/gfx\/news\/hires\/2025\/new-carbon-negative-ma-1.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Holding half its weight in carbon dioxide, the material could replace sand in concrete and other construction materials while trapping greenhouse gas. Credit: Northwestern University\">\n<figure class=\"article-img text-center\">\n            <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/scx1.b-cdn.net\/csz\/news\/800a\/2025\/new-carbon-negative-ma-1.jpg\" alt=\"New carbon-negative material could make concrete and cement more sustainable\" title=\"Holding half its weight in carbon dioxide, the material could replace sand in concrete and other construction materials while trapping greenhouse gas. Credit: Northwestern University\"\/><figcaption class=\"text-left text-darken text-truncate text-low-up mt-3\">\n                Holding half its weight in carbon dioxide, the material could replace sand in concrete and other construction materials while trapping greenhouse gas. Credit: Northwestern University<br \/>\n            <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>&#8220;Our research group tries to harness electricity to innovate construction and industrial processes,&#8221; Loria said. &#8220;We also like to use seawater because it&#8217;s a naturally abundant resource. It&#8217;s not scarce like fresh water.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>To generate the carbon-negative material, the researchers started by inserting electrodes into seawater and applying an electric current. The low electrical current split water molecules into hydrogen gas and hydroxide ions. While leaving the electric current on, the researchers bubbled CO<sub>2<\/sub> gas through seawater. This process changed the chemical composition of the water, increasing the concentration of bicarbonate ions.<\/p>\n<p>Finally, the hydroxide ions and bicarbonate ions reacted with other dissolved ions, such as calcium and magnesium, that occur naturally in seawater. The reaction produced solid minerals, including calcium carbonate and magnesium hydroxide. Calcium carbonate directly acts as a carbon sink, while magnesium hydroxide sequesters carbon through further interactions with CO<sub>2<\/sub>.<\/p>\n<p>Loria likens the process to the technique coral and mollusks use to form their shells, which harnesses metabolic energy to convert dissolved ions into calcium carbonate. But, instead of metabolic energy, the researchers applied electrical energy to initiate the process and boosted mineralization with the injection of CO<sub>2<\/sub>.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Dual_discoveries\"><\/span>Dual discoveries<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Through experimentation, the researchers made two significant discoveries. Not only could they grow these minerals into sand, but they also were able to change the composition of these materials by controlling experimental factors, including the voltage and current of electricity, the flow rate, timing and duration of CO<sub>2<\/sub>injection, and the flow rate, timing and duration of seawater recirculation in the reactor.<\/p>\n<p>Depending on the conditions, the resulting substances are flakier and more porous or denser and harder\u2014but always primarily composed of calcium carbonate and\/or magnesium hydroxide. Researchers can grow the materials around an electrode or directly in solution.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;We showed that when we generate these materials, we can fully control their properties, such as the chemical composition, size, shape and porosity,&#8221; Loria said. &#8220;That gives us some flexibility to develop materials suited to different applications.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>These materials could be used in concrete as a substitute for sand and\/or gravel\u2014a crucial ingredient that accounts for 60\u201370% of this ubiquitous building material. Or they could be used to manufacture cement, plaster and paint\u2014all essential finishes in the built environment.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-gallery lightGallery\">\n<div data-thumb=\"https:\/\/scx1.b-cdn.net\/csz\/news\/tmb\/2025\/new-carbon-negative-ma-2.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/scx2.b-cdn.net\/gfx\/news\/hires\/2025\/new-carbon-negative-ma-2.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Holding half its weight in carbon dioxide, the material could replace sand in concrete and other construction materials while trapping greenhouse gas. Credit: Northwestern University\">\n<figure class=\"article-img text-center\">\n            <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/scx1.b-cdn.net\/csz\/news\/800a\/2025\/new-carbon-negative-ma-2.jpg\" alt=\"New carbon-negative material could make concrete and cement more sustainable\" title=\"Holding half its weight in carbon dioxide, the material could replace sand in concrete and other construction materials while trapping greenhouse gas. Credit: Northwestern University\"\/><figcaption class=\"text-left text-darken text-truncate text-low-up mt-3\">\n                Holding half its weight in carbon dioxide, the material could replace sand in concrete and other construction materials while trapping greenhouse gas. Credit: Northwestern University<br \/>\n            <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Storing_carbon_in_structures\"><\/span>Storing carbon in structures<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Depending on the ratio of minerals, the material can hold over half its weight in CO<sub>2<\/sub>. With a composition of half calcium carbonate and half magnesium hydroxide, for example, 1 metric ton of the material has the capacity to store over one-half a metric ton of CO<sub>2<\/sub>. Loria also says the material\u2014if used to replace sand or powder\u2014would not weaken the strength of concrete or cement.<\/p>\n<p>                                                                                                        <!-- TechX - News - In-article --><\/p>\n<p>Loria envisions industry could apply the technique in highly scalable, modular reactors\u2014not directly into the ocean\u2014to avoid disturbing ecosystems and sea life.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;This approach would enable full control of the chemistry of the water sources and water effluent, which would be reinjected into open seawater only after adequate treatment and environmental verifications,&#8221; he said.<\/p>\n<p>Responsible for <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.weforum.org\/stories\/2024\/09\/cement-production-sustainable-concrete-co2-emissions\/\" target=\"_blank\">8% of global CO<sub>2<\/sub> emissions<\/a>, the cement industry is the world&#8217;s fourth-largest carbon emitter, according to the World Economic Forum. When combined with concrete production, this figure is even higher.<\/p>\n<p>Loria foresees putting some of that CO<sub>2<\/sub> back into concrete and cement to make more sustainable materials for construction and manufacturing.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;We could create a circularity where we sequester CO<sub>2<\/sub> right at the source,&#8221; Loria said.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;And, if the concrete and cement plants are located on shorelines, we could use the ocean right next to them to feed dedicated reactors where CO<sub>2<\/sub> is transformed through clean electricity into materials that can be used for myriad applications in the construction industry. Then, those materials would truly become carbon sinks.&#8221;<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-main__more p-4\">\n<p><strong>More information:<\/strong><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tElectrodeposition of Carbon-Trapping Minerals in Seawater for Variable Electrochemical Potentials and Carbon Dioxide Injections, <i>Advanced Sustainable Systems<\/i> (2025). <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" data-doi=\"1\" href=\"https:\/\/dx.doi.org\/10.1002\/adsu.202400943\" target=\"_blank\">DOI: 10.1002\/adsu.202400943<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"d-inline-block text-medium my-4\">\n                                                Provided by<br \/>\n                                                                                                    Northwestern University<br \/>\n                                                    \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"icon_open\" href=\"http:\/\/www.northwestern.edu\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<svg>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<use href=\"https:\/\/techx.b-cdn.net\/tmpl\/v2\/img\/svg\/sprite.svg#icon_open\" x=\"0\" y=\"0\"\/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/svg><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n<p>                                        <!-- print only --><\/p>\n<div class=\"d-none d-print-block\">\n<p>\n                                                <strong>Citation<\/strong>:<br \/>\n                                                New carbon-negative material could make concrete and cement more sustainable (2025, March 19)<br \/>\n                                                retrieved 19 March 2025<br \/>\n                                                from https:\/\/techxplore.com\/<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/news\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"2\" title=\"News\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">news<\/a>\/2025-03-carbon-negative-material-concrete-cement.html\n                                            <\/p>\n<p>\n                                            This document is subject to copyright. 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Credit: Northwestern University Using seawater, electricity and carbon dioxide (CO2), Northwestern University scientists have developed a new carbon-negative building material. As Earth&#8217;s climate continues to warm, researchers around the globe are exploring ways&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":657803,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/scx2.b-cdn.net\/gfx\/news\/hires\/2025\/new-carbon-negative-ma.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-657802","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sciencee"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/657802","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=657802"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/657802\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/657803"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=657802"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=657802"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=657802"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}