Science & technology | Tackling global warming

How to make low-carbon concrete from old cement

If the cement industry were a country, it would the third-biggest carbon polluter

Image: Materials Processing Institute

The world gets a little greyer every year. According to a paper published in 2014 concrete—an aggregate material made by mixing cement, sand and gravel—is the second-most consumed substance in the world after water. Around three tonnes of the stuff are poured each year for every person on the planet.

This article appeared in the Science & technology section of the print edition under the headline “Back in the mix”

From the April 29th 2023 edition

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