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The cement industry emitted approximately 1.6 billion metric tons of CO2 in 2022, significantly impacting ozone layer depletion. The construction industry is now embracing recycled cement at pace as part of a transition towards sustainability and environmental responsibility. Contributing to a circular economy and an eco-friendly construction approach - this report explains the many benefits of recycled cement. Are you using recycled building materials in your construction projects? Do you even know? If the answer is no to one of these questions - then the question we ask you is why? https://lnkd.in/gFKmb7jf

University of Cambridge has made an exciting new discovery in the world of recycled cement! ♻ Concrete, the second-most-used material on Earth, is responsible for about 7.5% of total CO2 emissions 🌫 . However, researchers at the University of Cambridge have developed a groundbreaking process for recycling cement, which could lead to the production of low-emission concrete on a large scale. This innovative method involves using electrically-powered arc furnaces, typically used for steel recycling, to simultaneously recycle cement. The researchers found that used cement can effectively replace lime flux in steel recycling, resulting in a recycled cement that can be used to create new concrete. This process, as reported in the journal Nature , does not significantly increase the costs of concrete or steel production and notably reduces emissions from both industries. Read more at : https://lnkd.in/duNAFCev What are your thoughts on this remarkable discovery? Please share! #recycling #cement #zeroemissions #circulareconomy #Cradlenet

ℂ𝕝𝕚𝕟𝕜𝕖𝕣 𝕒𝕣𝕠𝕦𝕟𝕕 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕖𝕕𝕘𝕖𝕤. 🏗️ Concrete is our most robust construction material and is unrivaled multi-functional structural solution. Unfortunately really that it’s production is responsible for a whopping 8% of global greenhouse gas emissions. With Cement manufacture alone responsible For 7%. 🏛️ Anyone who has visited Rome’s Pantheon can attest to the longevity of concrete forms, while the massive bronze doors were made from recycled material, the outsized climate impact of concrete was less of a consideration in AD 125. In many ways it’s unfortunate that such a versatile material is such a high emmiter. 💡But does it have to be so. Julian Allwood and the researchers in Cambridge Electric Cement are investigating combining crushed concrete from demolition with the process of recycling steel in Electric Arc Furnaces. To produce a lower carbon cement. ♻️ So what’s the process? Another circular economy silver bullet; or perhaps an innovation that enables delivery of the infrastructure needed to transition to a low carbon economy. Concrete is crushed to fines and the cement materials and aggregates are separated. The recovered cement dust can be used as a lime substitute in a steel furnace. Very topical with the RPS RKD & UCD decarbonising concrete study, this week. ⚡️steel furnaces that use electric arc thermal input rather than the standard coal fired heat, have a substantially lower carbon footprint for steel. When this is fed from a low carbon grid - such as Basque region wind or UK nuclear / offshore wind, the. Carbon figures are low. (Xcarb steel). This can be further lowered by increasing the recycled proportion of the virgin steel ore to recycled steel in the furnace. 🏭 Steel furnaces use lime as a flux agent to keep oxygen from molten steel and attract impurities from the recycled content to form furnace slag. This slag and fly-ash waste have been used as a cement replacement in GGBS cement for decades as a proportion of the cement. This approach differs by combining full replacement of cement as well as piggybacking the steel production process. When recycled cement is used as flux in a high temp Electric Furnace, the slag that results has similar properties to Portland cement if cooled rapidly. Resulting in the co-production of low carbon steel and low carbon cement. 🔨 This might be years away from commercialisation. There are still some issues around how it interacts with steel reinforcement. Holcim Cement already have a process to reduce CO2 emissions of cement is by replacing clinker with mineral components. 🌐Where this particular solution will be a benefit is in ‘Justification for demolition’, those situations where demolition is unavoidable, due to unfavourable structural dimensions; or the land use merits higher density solution firms to its transit hub location. https://lnkd.in/gmE3wvnB https://lnkd.in/gcxGhBsg

[Construction News] 🚧 Cement is the main ingredient in concrete and is responsible for about 90% of the material's substantial carbon emissions. Cambridge academic Julian Allwood said the innovation represented "a breakthrough for the construction industry" and that the research team believed it would become "the world's first process for making zero-emissions cement." The process involved is relatively simple. After a building's demolition, its concrete is crushed to the point where the cement can be separated from the aggregates. This used cement is taken to a steel furnace and used in place of lime as the "flux" – the cleaning agent used in the recycling process to remove impurities from the molten metal. This is possible because cement and lime have a similar calcium oxide-based composition.   At #MenardCanada, we are in constant pursuit of innovation in sustainable development and continuous improvement of our processes. We are proud to incorporate low-carbon concrete in our projects, significantly reducing our carbon footprint. By using advanced technologies and innovative materials, we aim to provide virtuous solutions to our clients. Our commitment to sustainability is reflected in every project we undertake, ensuring that we build not only strong foundations but also a healthier planet for future generations. 👉Read the full story at: https://lnkd.in/etn8ivrR #carbonemissions #concrete #sustainability

CemNet news From Aspdin to recycled concrete This week demonstrated more than most that the cement sector is still innovating after celebrating 200 years since Joseph Aspdin's patent for ordinary Portland cement (OPC). Refining this valuable building material has taken us to the point where Heidelberg Materials announced that it will now recycle concrete from demolition waste, creating a by-product that will be reused in cement manufacture. In future, the concrete already in the world can be recycled to supply new building materials, contributing to a more sustainable construction industry. Read more at: https://lnkd.in/eWsDDKe9 #cement #ICRmag #HeidelbergMaterials #Recycledconcrete #ciruclareconomy

Interesting technology for circular economy - Recycled construction waste could cut cement and steel’s carbon footprint - by JAMES URQUHART, ChemistryWorld. ''‘Zero-carbon’ cement made by feeding concrete construction waste into existing steel recycling processes could potentially slash carbon emissions for both cement and steel industries. The approach is the ‘first cement recycling method proposed to date’, according to the team, and could offer a solution to one of the world’s most pressing decarbonisation challenges. Julian Allwood’s group at the University of Cambridge, UK, has developed a process that recycles cement from waste demolition concrete – which comprises cement, sand, aggregates and water – by using it as a lime supplement to remove impurities in steel recycling. The upshot is that cement is re-clinkered in the process, enabling it to be reused in new concrete, while less lime is needed to recycle steel. In the new process, old cement powder is first extracted from waste concrete, either mechanically or by heating. This old cement is then fed into the recycling process for scrap steel, which uses an electric arc furnace to melt the material. The cement then becomes a flux to soak up impurities, which then forms a liquid slag that floats on the surface of the liquid steel. Once the molten steel is removed, the slag rapidly cools in air and is ground up into a powder. Pilot-scale trials by the researchers’ start-up company, Cambridge Electric Cement, has demonstrated this combined recycling process, revealing that the recycled cement slag has a near-identical chemical composition to conventional clinker.'' #circulareconomy #decarbonisation Read more at -

We enjoyed this fascinating AZOBuild article about recycled aggregate for new concrete. It summarizes the latest research about the effects of substituting natural aggregates with recycled ones in various proportions. It concludes that concrete that contains recycled coarse aggregates (RCA) meets the strength requirements for construction 💪 But the proportion of RCA matters too, as higher percentages hinder the concrete’s workability. Find out more about the research and the other RCA properties it reveals ⬇️ https://bit.ly/3RVyrZE #Concrete #GreenCement #RCA

Recycled construction waste could cut cement and steel’s carbon footprint ‘Zero-carbon’ cement made by feeding concrete construction waste into existing steel recycling processes could potentially slash carbon emissions for both cement and steel industries. The approach is the ‘first cement recycling method proposed to date’, according to the team, and could offer a solution to one of the world’s most pressing decarbonisation challenges: https://lnkd.in/gFKmb7jf #recycling #construction #decarbonisation #steel #carbonfootprint

Great news! Low-emission concrete could revolutionize our journey to net zero emissions. Kudos to the Cambridge team for this innovative and sustainable approach. 🌍💡 Follow this page for updates on technological advancements!