Concrete is a man-made product that is ever-present in our lives. It is in every building, every road and almost every wall. It is the glue that quite literally holds our civilisation together and we could not imagine a world in which it ceased to exist.
Unfortunately, concrete is also a major contributor to global warming. Its carbon emissions are forecast to reach 12% globally by 2060 and therefore researchers and scientists are constantly looking for ways to reduce its harmful effects on our environment while retaining its use.
Nitrogen could be the answer
A recent study has identified that adding nitrogen to concrete can dramatically reduce the levels of nitrogen oxide emitted by the construction industry. It is believed that adding nitrogen to concrete could reduce emissions by up to 6.9 megatons.
Nitrogen oxide is a toxic air pollutant that poses major health risks to people and contributes to the depletion of the ozone layer. Therefore, capturing and reducing the emission of this pollutant would be an incredible step towards a greener, healthier tomorrow.
How a concrete nitrogen mix could benefit our planet
Adding nitrogen to concrete could significantly curtail industrial air pollution, particularly in towns and cities. It could improve the health of local residents, reduce the burden on the health service and contribute towards reduced global emissions.
How this could be achieved
More work is required to quantify the benefits of adding nitrogen to concrete and concurrently, work is required to develop an emissions trading system such as the one that already exists for CO2. It is likely that for concrete nitrogenation to occur on an industrial scale, logistics networks will need to be optimised and the construction industry incentivised to enhance the feasibility of this option.
There are many specialist suppliers of concrete Cheltenham, such as https://www.monstermixconcrete.co.uk/concrete-cheltenham, that are already pioneering ways of making concrete greener, for example by batching deliveries to reduce wastage and promoting a circular economy.
Concrete nitrogenation holds promise but will likely deliver the best results when included alongside other technological advancements and environmental enhancement schemes.