Emissions reveal a constructive side

摘要

Taking carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere is crucial to slowing the progress of climate change. But rather than lock all that CO_2 away underground, what if we could use it to make things? That's the aim of a pilot plant at the University of Newcastle near Sydney, Australia. Launched last week, the plant will test the commercial potential of mineral carbonation, a process that forms stable materials by chemically binding CO_2 to minerals containing calcium or magnesium. The plant will bind the gas into crushed serpentinite rocks to create magnesium carbonate, which can be used to produce cement, paving stones and plasterboard.