A Germany-based international tech company recently began building what will be the world's first carbon-neutral cement plants. These could be the next big thing in the fight against rising global temperatures.
The facilities, located in Lägerdorf, Germany, will utilize "pure oxyfuel" technology developed by experts at Thyssenkrupp Decarbon Technologies. According to Interesting Engineering, this process uses pure oxygen in lieu of ambient air during the combustion process, which will help capture nearly 100% of the carbon dioxide produced.
"That shows once again that the future is climate-neutral," said Daniel Günther, Minister-President of the state of Schleswig-Holstein, per Interesting Engineering.
Cetin Nazikkol, chief strategy officer at Thyssenkrupp Decarbon Technologies, told the publication that the company is looking to expand the technology and is already supplying equipment and services to about one-third of cement plants across the globe.
Globally, cement production accounts for as much as 9% of global carbon pollution, Interesting Engineering reported, citing an article from Scientific American. Carbon dioxide is a planet-heating gas, and reducing pollution will help us protect communities from the worst impacts of a warming world. According to the United Nations, these include hotter temperatures, more severe storms, increased droughts and disease, rising ocean levels, species loss, food insecurity, poverty, and displacement.
For instance, unseasonably high temperatures coupled with severe drought have crushed olive harvests on the Iberian Peninsula, devastating farmers and causing global olive oil prices to spike. Meanwhile, the Midwest region of the United States suffered an abnormally active fire season in the early months of 2024 because of a warmer-than-average, dry winter.
Thyssenkrupp Decarbon Technologies isn't the only company that has come up with innovative technology to try to fight back against the climate crisis.
For instance, one Swiss company is literally making running shoes from carbon pollution. Also, American researchers have found a way to combine carbon-capture technologies with geothermal energy in a process they say could help create large-scale carbon dioxide capture and storage systems.
You can help by reducing the amount of planet-warming pollution you produce in your daily life. This could be something as small as riding your bike more or as involved as installing solar panels on your home or choosing an electric vehicle for your next car.
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