The construction sector is a major source of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions worldwide, to the extent that, according to estimates by the International Energy Agency, 8% of all global carbon dioxide emissions are related to the cement industry. Thus, the development of new sustainable building materials and processes is one of its great environmental challenges going forward.

A research project at the University of Cordoba has managed to dose concrete through a new procedure that removes carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, and that could be used for the manufacture of paving stones, curbs, vaults and other types of urban furniture without steel reinforcement.

The study, carried out jointly at the Polytechnic School of Belmez by the ‘Construction Engineering’ (TEP-227) and ‘Materials and Applications’ (FQM-391) groups at the University of Cordoba, has developed a new recipe for this material, with two main ingredients: aggregates recycled from construction and demolition waste, and carbonated water, the typical refreshment consumed at many bars and restaurants.

According to the results of the study, published in the Journal of CO2 Utilization, the use of carbonated water, which is used to mix and cure the concrete, and the use of recycled aggregates, manages to capture 181% more carbon dioxide from the atmosphere compared to the use of natural aggregates and mixing with conventional water. This is, stressed researcher José María Fernández, one of the authors of the study, “a pioneering strategy that manages to mitigate climate change and is also based on the paradigm of the Circular Economy, in which waste and greenhouse gases are re-integrated into the manufacturing process.”

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