Concrete Progress on Climate Change

Concrete is everywhere in our modern society—roads, bridges, buildings, dams, sewers, parking lots, etc. The foundation of your home or apartment building is probably made of concrete. But producing all of that concrete requires a lot of fossil fuels, generating a lot of carbon dioxide, a potent and plentiful greenhouse gas that contributes mightily to climate change. In fact, the concrete industry is responsible for as much as eight percent (8%) of global greenhouse gas emissions. But some innovative manufacturers are trying to reduce that carbon footprint.

One idea is to capture some of that carbon dioxide and mix it with other substances used in the manufacturing process, thus trapping the carbon dioxide and locking it away in the concrete. This process, known as accelerated mineralization, can reduce the carbon footprint by up to seventy percent (70%).

A simpler method is to simply inject the carbon dioxide directly into fresh concrete during mixing. The carbon dioxide binds itself to the concrete and is permanently trapped, thus reducing emissions by three to five percent.

Neither of these is a complete solution to the climate crisis, but every little bit helps.

To learn more about what climate change is, how it is impacting our world, and how it might be fulfilling biblical prophecy, read Chapter 11 of my book, Beyond Blind Faith, entitled “Apocalypse Soon.” You can read it in its entirety for free on this website. Just click here, or go to “Don’s Books” at the top of this page and scroll down to the “List of Contents” under my book, Beyond Blind Faith.

This blog entry was based in part on information in the following article:

1.         “Decarbonizing Cement,” by Sarah Sax, in the September 30, 2024 edition of Time Magazine, p. 16.