Researchers have created a remarkable new kind of concrete that’s made out of waste products from coal plants–concrete that could both last for hundreds of years and reduce carbon emissions by 90%. The cement industry is one of the most polluting industries there is, contributing 5-8% of the world’s greenhouse gases. This new ‘geopolymer concrete’ emits 90% less than its Portland brethren, and could last ten times as long, in addition to having a slew of other advantages. According to Science Daily, the fly ash concrete can produce a more durable infrastructure capable of design life measured in hundreds of years instead of tens, conserve hundreds of thousands of acres currently used for disposal of coal combustion products, and protect aquifers and surface bodies of fresh water via the elimination of fly ash disposal sites.
Research is still being done on the geopolymer, but it the notion that the stuff can capture carbon dioxide, prevent the need for toxic dump sites, and be turned into a better, longer-lasting version of a highly in-demand product make it the best kind of triple threat . More than a few eyes will on this carbon-trapping concrete.