Scientists at the University of Michigan have made a breakthrough in converting carbon dioxide into metal oxalates, which can be used as building blocks in cement manufacturing. The team’s method reduces the amount of lead required, making it an environmentally friendly alternative to traditional cement production.
The Center for Closing the Carbon Cycle (4C) project aimed to find practical ways to capture and reuse carbon dioxide. Researchers focused on metal oxalates, simple salt compounds that can serve as alternative cement precursors. By controlling the chemical surroundings of a lead catalyst using polymers, they were able to cut the amount of lead required down to parts per billion.
The process works by converting CO2 into dissolved oxalate ions and then releasing ions that latch onto the oxalate to form solid metal oxalates. These solids can be collected and used in cement production, providing a way to store carbon dioxide securely.
The team believes their method could eventually be scaled up for industrial use, with much work remaining to optimize the production of the final solid product. However, reducing the lead catalyst to parts per billion is a key step toward making the process environmentally responsible.
Source: https://www.earth.com/news/turning-co2-into-cement-a-new-path-to-greener-construction