Research from MIT's Concrete Sustainability Hub shows carbon-neutral pavements are possible by 2050. But stakeholders of all levels must get involved in decarbonizing pavements to reach climate goals.
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Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Just along concrete’s gray surface, a chemical reaction is occurring. Known as carbonation, this reaction forms calcium carbonate, a benign chalk-like material, but it can also affect climate change.
That’s because calcium carbonate forms when CO
2 from the air reacts with water in concrete pores, and then with calcium compounds in concrete – meaning that concrete is a potential carbon sink. Estimating the extent of its carbon uptake at scale, however, has proven difficult.
In a new paper, MIT researchers investigate the carbon uptake of all pavements in the United States. The study finds that the carbonation process could offset 5 percent of the CO