Concrete is the most manufactured material in the world, with Portland cement, which binds it, accounting for about 8% of global carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. For perspective, cement makers in China alone (highest producer by country) spewed out 858 million metric tons of CO2 in 2020, according to market data company Statista.
As governments set carbon reduction goals, and as the green building industry booms, the hunt is on for sustainable technologies to clean up the roughly .65 to .95 tons of CO2 emitted per ton of cement. Carbon capture and storage technologies will be key to making headway, attests the International Energy Agency, an organization that vets sustainable energy policies.
