Researchers at Switzerland’s Ecole Polytechnique Federal de Lausanne are testing a low-carbon cement that could reduce the carbon footprint of construction sites by 40 percent, Forbes reports.
The cement is made from calcined clay and ground limestone that, when added in large amounts to concrete mixtures, creates a cement that is less porous and stronger than traditional cement. This could make the new material, called LC3 (Limestone Calcined Clay Cement), a greener alternative to Portland cement, the cheapest, most commonly used cement but also the most energy-intensive to produce and the most caustic.
The cement industry’s sustainability goals will drive growth in the greener fly ash cement market, causing it to double to $47 billion by 2018, according to a May analysis by Lux Research.
Cement accounts for 6 percent of human carbon emissions. Using fly ash is one of the simplest and most cost-effective ways to cut carbon emissions in cement-making.