BIOLITH TILES
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ight percent of the world’s carbon emissions come from one source. That is more than every country on the planet, apart from the United States and China, and exceeds the carbon emissions of 170 million cars. The culprit? Cement. It is in our homes, spread throughout our communities. Concrete, of which cement is a key component, is the second-most consumed substance on earth after water.
INSPIRED BY N AT U R E : BIOCEMENT BIOTECHNOLOGY COMPANY OFFERS A SUSTAINABLE ALTERNATIVE TO ONE OF CONSTRUCTION’S BIGGEST CARBON CONTRIBUTORS
BACTERIA
GROWING BIOCEMENT® WITH NATURAL MICROORGANISMS
42 Pro Landscaper USA South September/October 2021
APART FROM THE PRODUCTION PROCESS, MANUFACTURING CEMENT CAN CAUSE DAMAGE TO THE AREAS WHERE IT IS LAID, THROUGH ECOLOGICAL DISRUPTION AND EROSION
Portland cement has been the primary cement product since the early 1800s. Producers combine a mix of mined materials, largely crushed limestone, and heat them to high temperatures (roughly 150°F). The heat extracts calcium oxide, which is then combined with silicates. During that time, large amounts of carbon dioxide are released into the environment through the calcination process and combustion of fossil fuels. Apart from the production process, manufacturing cement can cause damage to the areas where it is laid, through ecological disruption and erosion. North Carolina-based Biomason is offering an alternative to Portland cement, called biocement. Biomason’s biocement technology uses carbon as a building block, combining carbon and calcium to create controlled, structural cement products in ambient temperatures. The patented process eliminates the need to emit carbon
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