This new concrete is stronger and pulls CO2 from the air

Engineers have created a new type of concrete that is stronger than conventional concrete while also capturing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. The findings, reported in Carbon Research , suggest that adding carefully selected natural materials could give concrete a second role beyond construction by helping remove CO 2 from the surrounding air.

Researchers at Mepco Schlenk Engineering College in India developed the mixture as a possible way to make construction materials more sustainable. Their approach targets a major environmental challenge: rising atmospheric CO 2 levels driven in large part by fossil fuel use and cement production.

The team, led by Srinivasan Revathi, focused on two natural additives. One was zeolite, a highly porous mineral, and the other was bamboo biochar, a carbon-rich material. Both have large pore volumes and high specific surface areas, properties that make them well suited for trapping gas molecules.