Carbon negative cement invented

Building one's own eco-home could become even greener in future, thanks to a new form of cement.

Novacem has invented a carbon-negative form of cement which absorbs CO2 as it sets, the Guardian reports.

The process of manufacturing cement is responsible for five per cent of the world's carbon emissions, so the ramifications of the new building material could have a global benefit.

It is manufactured from magnesium silicates, which require far less heat to be converted into the material. A pilot plant is now being built.

Novacem claims that a tonne of the new cement can absorb around 0.6 tonnes of CO2 over its lifetime. A tonne of normal cement emits around 0.4 tonnes of the greenhouse gas.

In related news, Herzog and de Meuron recently delivered its Brick is Back lecture to the Royal Institute of British Architects, in which it was claimed that the sustainability credentials of brick make it "the new cool".

Buy your materials at a discount price with BuildStore's TradeCard