Carbon Dioxide could soon be used in the production of a revolutionary and environmentally sensitive concrete substitute. By capturing CO2 gas emitted from smokestacks at power plants around the world and turning it into “CO2NCRETE” researchers from UCLA hope to cut harmful greenhouse gas emissions.
J.R. DeShazo, professor of Public Policy at the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs and director of the UCLA Luskin Center for Innovation said that “this technology tackles global climate change, which is one of the biggest challenges that society faces now and will face over the next century.”
The team of researchers have managed to complete the process of converting CO2 into CO2NCRETE at a lab level using 3D printers and DeShazo says that they are now looking to “begin the process of increasing the volume of material and then think about how to pilot it commercially.”
If successful the process could potentially cut CO2 emissions in the United States and the researchers are excited about it cutting greenhouse gas production in China, currently the world’s largest producer of greenhouse gases, and in India, directly on track to surpass the United States in the production of emissions that are harmful to the atmosphere.
Gaurav Sant, one of the researchers leading the team has said that the team wants “to develop technologies that might be considered fanciful at one point but become reality very quickly” and that they are looking at ideas “which will change the world.”
Further information, research is available from http://luskin.ucla.edu/news/public-policy/carbon-upcycling-turning-co2-new-sustainable-co2ncrete
