With the wave of environmentally friendly products for just about everything including your home, consumers are starting to add more eco-friendly options into their remodels or new builds. Concrete or cement is one that is touted as environmentally friendly and often used for countertops. I just read an article that makes you realize that sometimes the process hurts the environment, though, the final product may not.
According to the Climate Change Newsletter, about 2.5 billion tons of cement are produced every year, which amounts to almost 0.3 tons for every person on the planet. By 2050, global production is expected to reach 5 billion tons as housing booms continue in countries such as China and India.
Making cement is a very carbon-intensive process. The process creates CO2 in two ways: by driving carbon dioxide out of calcium carbonate (from limestone) in a chemical reaction inside cement kilns; and by burning large quantities of fossil fuels to heat the kilns to the 1,450C necessary to generate the chemical reaction.
For every ton of concrete produced, the chemical reaction releases 0.6 ton of CO2, with up to another 0.3 ton generated in the burning of the fuel to heat the cement kilns.
The industry accounts for more than 5% of the world’s man-made CO2 emissions, putting it ahead of the aviation industry.
An alternative that is gaining attention are geopolymer materials, which look and perform like Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC).
Geopolymer manufacturers say their process creates about 300kg of CO2 per ton produced – in other words, one-third of the standard industry figure for OPC and less than half the emissions achieved by the most efficient manufacture.
I tell people often that being green is about minimizing the sacrifices you make on the environment to produce a superior product. If your business is looking to add eco-options, you may want to consider this cement alternative. The last thing you want is to be accused of harming the environment because of your choice in materials.
Helping You Understand and Profit from Consumer Health and Green Trends
Colette Chandler
