Carbon Negative Cement by Novacem

By Preston on Feb. 7, 2011 | Topics: Materials, News | 16 Comments

Material ConneXion, a global materials consultancy, recently gave its material of the year award to Novacem for the company’s “carbon negative” cement. The product is being touted with increasing frequency and — it would seem from the literature — has the potential to change the world of concrete in 2014-15 when it hits the market.

One impressive aspect of Novacem cement is that it’s supposed to perform at the same level as commonly used Portland Cement. It’s also supposed to cost about the same.

Novacem cement is made using a magnesium silicate mixture instead of calcium carbonates, according to Material ConneXion. Also, the low-energy production process allows for the use of biomass as a fuel.

But what sets it apart from all of the competition, including slag and fly ash varieties of cement, is the fact that “the creation of magnesium carbonates from magnesium silicates involves absorption of CO2,” according to Novacem. Thus, the production process is carbon negative.

Novacem is a London-based company and its cement is not currently available for purchase. You can follow the company here.

Credit: Novacem.

About Preston: Founder/Chief Editor of Jetson Green. Preston is an entrepreneur, innovator, and LEED AP living near the mountains of Salt Lake City, Utah. You can follow him on Twitter at @JetsonGreen or connect on Facebook at JetsonGreen.

http://bruteforcecollaborative.com/ brute force collaborative

carbon negative, or carbon reducing? i’m assuming they’re not taking into account the CO2 released in the harvesting of sand, aggregate, transportation, etc.
rain5hadow

Does the CO2 escape over time? Would this material be safe for use in all dwellings? This seems a wonderful product.
Clinton

My wildest though is to freeze CO2 into building blocks and use them for construction…
Dan

Haven’t the Chinese been doing this for a while?
http://desertverde.com nan

Sweet! Concrete is one of the biggest environmental problems in building.
JGS

Wait, isn’t it the extra CO2 that we are now blaming for it getting colder here in the US. So if this takes away CO2, are we now wanting it to get warmer. I am getting so confused because no matter what we do, it seems we impact the environment.
http://www.facebook.com/people/Kevin-Matthews/638037119 Kevin Matthews

“…No matter what we do, it seems we impact the environment.”

Yup. Sounds like you’re actually starting to get it.
bldr

Concrete is one of the biggest environmental problems in building?
ctech

Where is the data to support that statement. You must be a logger.
ctech

I think they are; take a look at the website and see what they are claiming.
http://desertverde.com nan

It is energy intensive to make and transport, and it’s hard to dispose of. It can’t be recycled.

http://www.enviroliteracy.org/article.php/1257.html

http://www.sustainablebuild.co.uk/concrete-environmentally-friendly.html
http://desertverde.com nan

A logger? Hardly.

Concrete is energy intensive to make and transport. It’s hard to dispose of, because it can’t be recycled.

http://www.enviroliteracy.org/article.php/1257.html

http://www.sustainablebuild.co.uk/concrete-environmentally-friendly.html
http://www.portlandtradesmen.com Jesse Pender

I’ll definitely be watching this product. Thanks for posting. I hope it turns out to be as good as it sounds.
Jim M

Nan- you are wrong both times – 1st – Cement (not concrete) is energy in intensive; However Cement is only about 11% of concrete. The rest of concrete is low energy local materials (aggregates and water), 2nd Concrete is 100% recylable and if very often used an aggregate in new concrete, new asphalt roadways, and new base materials. Finally, because of its strength and durability, buildings built with it have lower energy footrprints over their life than any other buildign material, and when roads are built with it, the trucks have better fuel effecienvy (up to 6%). That is much, MUCH bigger savings then what you are talking about.

see
http://whataretherealcosts.org/

http://www.cement.ca/en/Concrete-and-the-Environment.html

http://www.cement.ca/en/Highways.html
(see
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