Modified building materials could be used to store tons of_CO2

The replacement of conventional construction materials with similar, but modified, construction materials could allow the storage of tons of CO₂ in buildings or infrastructures and bring the planet closer to net-zero greenhouse gas emissions.

With the necessary modifications, materials such as concrete and plastic can store billions of tons of carbon dioxide and the technologies that enable this are in various phases, from laboratory research to already available for adoption.

Researchers from the University of California at Davis and Stanford University (USA) estimate that replacing conventional building materials with these alternatives could store up to 16.6 gigatonnes of CO₂ per year, approximately 50% of those anthropogenic emissions in 2021, according to a study published in Science.

This possibility, together with measures to decarbonise the economy, could help the world achieve greenhouse gas emission reduction targets. “The potential is very great,” according to Elisabeth Van Roijen of the University of California, who is leading the study.

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