US researchers have created a new method for capturing CO2, transforming it into metal oxalates, and using them as precursors for cement production. A team led by University of Michigan chemist Charles McCrory has developed this process.
Currently, the most common type of cement is portland cement, which requires significant energy consumption and generates a large carbon footprint. The researchers aim to reduce these environmental impacts by using metal oxalates instead.
Lead was initially used as a catalyst to facilitate chemical reactions, but it posed an environmental and health risk due to its high toxicity levels. To address this issue, scientists developed polymers to monitor the chemical environment surrounding the lead catalysts. This allowed them to significantly reduce the required amount of lead to just one part per billion.
The team uses electrodes to convert CO2 to oxalate and release metal ions that bind to the oxalates. They have hypothesized that small amounts of lead can control oxalate synthesis reactions.
The researchers are working on scaling up the process that produces the solid product. The study’s results were published in the journal Advanced Energy Materials, providing a promising solution for reducing cement production’s environmental impact.
Source: https://itc.ua/en/news/cement-from-the-air-and-a-clean-environment-a-new-method-of-capturing-co