‘Concrete jungle’ is surprisingly green – study

DESPITE being one of the biggest sources of manmade carbon dioxide emissions, concrete is a surprisingly effective carbon sink, removing an amount of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere equal to nearly half that produced in concrete manufacturing, researchers said in findings published in Nature Geoscience.

Production of concrete accounts for as much as five percent of global carbon dioxide emissions annually, and is considered particularly carbon-intensive because carbon dioxide is produced through combustion of fuel in the manufacturing process as well as calcinations, the chemical reaction that converts carbonate rock into cement.