Brilliant Cement Making Technology Mimics Coral While Removing CO2 From the Atmosphere | Inhabitat - Sustainable Design Innovation, Eco Architecture, Green Building

Brilliant Cement Making Technology Mimics Coral While Removing CO2 From the Atmosphere | Inhabitat - Sustainable Design Innovation, Eco Architecture, Green Building

Researchers at Stanford University have developed a novel way to create a new form of carbon neutral cement by studying the formation of coral reefs and applying the principles at work. Coral takes in minerals and CO2 and then secretes calcium carbonate to build its hard exoskeleton. Inspired by this construction process, Stanford scientist Brent Constanz has developed a way to capture CO2 and dissolve it in seawater to form calcium carbonate, which has properties suitable for use in construction and could replace Portland cement (which is responsible for more than a ton of CO2 for every ton of product created). This new technology could reduce the environmental impact of construction in a big way by capturing and sequestering CO2 emissions while creating a durable building material