cement

Scientists sent “Erasmus” lunar cement to the International Space Station. Half a year later, he came back stronger than vinegar

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Taking concrete mixers loaded with cement into space It is not something viable. Therefore, science has long been looking for ways to obtain construction materials from lunar regolith. When they are manufactured the first buildings on the Moonthe cement would not have to be brought from Earth, because it would be prepared on site. However, just because something is manufactured in space, with materials from space, does not mean that it will resist space conditions well, no matter how paradoxical it may be. For this reason, a team of scientists from the University of Delaware recently sent some samples of their lunar cement to the International Space Station (ISS). Six months later, they have returned them to Earth for analysis. What they have seen is very interesting. Stronger than on Earth. The lunar cement samples were placed on the outside of the ISS for six months. After, they were returned to our planet to see how cosmic radiation, vacuum or microgravity had affected them, among other factors. At the same time, other samples similar to those were kept on Earth, in order to verify the differences. When the space samples returned to our planet, it was observed that none had lost resistance. In fact, some had become more resistant after their space stay. The ingredients of moon cement. Broadly speaking, conventional cement is obtained subjecting a mixture of limestone and some clay to very high temperatures. This represents an energy consumption that we cannot even consider when traveling to space. Therefore, the first thing these scientists from the University of Delaware did was look for ways to obtain a cement-like material that did not require that extreme heating. They tried the development of geopolymers, which are materials obtained from clays through chemical reactions. In this case, simulated lunar and Martian regolith was used, which was mixed with a minimal amount of additives. These polymerized to give rise to a material that, when solidified, resembles the concrete we use here on Earth. Not all regoliths are the same. moon dustknown as regolith, is made up of different rock materials. They are not all the same. For this reason, these scientists started with an AI algorithm that predicts the resistance of the final result, depending on the type of regolith that was used as a starting point. This is very useful, as it allows you to select the best options to obtain a strong lunar cement. The results of this other step are published in a different study to the one used to show the results of the spatial exposure. A critical point not so critical. On the other hand, these scientists have identified a key point in the reaction to obtain lunar cement, known as the critical point of the gel, in which the material goes from a functional suspension to a solidifying structure. However, they found that mixing before that point did not affect how long the material took to harden or its final strength. Therefore, there is quite a bit of flexibility in the development of these materials. Taking into account that they want to do it in a place that is not too inhospitable, the less restricted the reaction is, the better. Image | Magnificent In Xataka | A study has tried to find out why space food is so bad: it’s not the food, it’s the astronauts

A cement company stopped sending its personnel to inspect dangerous areas. Your new inspector is a robot dog

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Even though the conversation revolves around humanoid robotics Lately, this sector has had much more traction in the industry for decades, driving a good part of the current processes and assembly lines. In this regard, a Swiss cement plant has wanted to take advantage of robotics in a somewhat peculiar way: it has been using a quadruped robot to monitor your facilities every night. Below these lines we tell you all the details. The problem that had to be solved. Vigier Ciment has been producing cement in the hills of the Swiss Jura, south of Biel, for a century and a half, generating approximately a fifth of all cement in the country. Its plant houses more than 1,000 machines spread across several buildings and floors, connected by metal stairs of up to 16 sections, areas with temperatures that reach 50 degrees, constant dust and the occasional presence of ammonia near the unloading docks. The maintenance of all this fell to operators who toured the facilities on foot filling out paper records. Over time, continued exposure to these conditions generates what the plant workers themselves call “operational blindness.” You stop seeing what is in front of you because you have already seen it too many times, according to collect Techeblog. The guard dog. Just like account The medium, in November 2024 the Swiss robotics company ANYbotics began talks with Vigier Ciment to deploy its ANYmal quadruped robot at the plant. The robot arrived on January 6, 2025 and before the end of the first month it was already carrying out night patrols completely autonomously. ANYmal is similar in size to a large dog and weighs more than 50 kilos. It does not need human supervision, and its managers say it climbs stairs, avoids obstacles, navigates narrow hallways and accesses areas that previously required considerable effort on the part of staff. What exactly does it do in every round. Every night, even on weekends, ANYmal goes through more than 450 inspection points predefined elements distributed in three mills and six levels. To do this, it has several detection systems, including a visual camera that identifies cracks, oil leaks or corrosion; a thermal camera that measures the temperature of critical components such as bearings, motors and gears; a gas sensor that monitors ammonia levels; and an acoustic camera capable of locating compressed air leaks or filter failures at distances of up to 50 meters. According to point In the middle, all that information is automatically dumped into a software platform called Data Navigator, which analyzes the data collected overnight, compares it to the facility’s history, and generates a daily report for the maintenance team. What he has found along the way. In sixteen months of operation, ANYmal has already completed more than 33,000 inspections without recording any technical failures. According to ANYbotics, the most relevant findings have had a direct impact on plant operations. The middle share In addition, the robot detected a crack in the base of a shredder the size of a large kitchen table. The oil had been leaking for some time and no one had reported it on the usual rounds. The repair was completed the next day. Had it collapsed, the plant would have lost more than a week of production, with estimated losses of more than $630,000, according to the company’s own figures. In another case, thermal monitoring detected a bearing reaching 140 degrees Celsius, allowing a $30,000 eight-hour repair to be scheduled rather than facing a much more costly emergency failure. The robot also detected levels of ammonia exposure at unloading docks that had not been measured until then, and located air leaks in filtration systems installed 50 meters high. Industrial maintenance. The plant’s traditional fixed sensors only covered about 200 elements, mainly on the clinker side (the main component of cement). The robot expands that coverage substantially and accesses areas that static sensors cannot reach. At the same time, it removes operators from the most dangerous environments without reducing the frequency or quality of inspections. Images | ANYbotics In Xataka | One of the big problems with AI is that it always proves you right: this is the most effective way to avoid it

We have been looking to replace the key ingredient in cement for years. We have found the Holy Grail: basalt

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In the midst of the era of decarbonizationthe first thing that comes to mind when we think about ways to emit less CO₂ into the atmosphere is the transition to renewable energy or electric vehicles. However, we can often overlook something that sends as many CO₂ emissions into the atmosphere each year as all the cars in the world: the cement. This material is essential and, although We have been looking for a replacement for yearsa team from the University of California believes they have found the key to creating greener cement. A cement without limestone that relies on silicates. Portland cement. It is the basic material that ‘links’ our reality. This paste resulting from the mixture of water, sand and stones is very resistant and, as we say, although we have been looking for a substitute for some time, the truth is that we have not found the key. It is still a structural part of buildings, bridges, dams or tunnels and the problem is that the cement industry is estimated to represent around 4.4% of global greenhouse gas emissions. And one of the problems with this cement is limestone. It is a simple rock to refine, but it requires a lot of energy. It is not that limestone pollutes by itself, but because of the process that must be followed to process it and make it a good ingredient in cement. This limestone must be heated to more than 1,500 degrees Celsius to produce the calcium oxide necessary for the mixture and it is estimated that half of all CO₂ emissions linked to cement production are related solely to that process with limestone. Focus shift. With that in mind, Jeff Prancevic (a geologist at the University of California, Santa Barbara) and Cody Finke (of Brimstone Energy) set out to replace the elephant in the room. If Portland cement is the most used and the limestone refining process is what pollutes the most in the process, the rock had to be removed from the equation. The key? Find other rocks rich in calcium, but that are easier to refine. Basalt to the rescue. And in the study published in Nature They detail how basalt is that rock that meets what they are looking for. After carrying out different analyses, they came to the conclusion that, in theory, manufacturing cement from these calcium-rich silicates can require less than 60% of the energy needed by limestone, reducing CO₂ emissions by 80% in the process. In numbers. It is estimated that, in the refining of limestone, 600 kg per metric ton of cement of CO₂ are sent into the atmosphere, but if we use other silicates, the authors calculate that these emissions could be around 50 kg per ton. In the least conservative calculations, the proposed solution would still cut more than 25% CO₂ compared to the standard process with limestone. Another interesting point is that the processing of these other rocks has the potential to give us valuable byproducts with high iron and aluminum content that could benefit other industries. That is, the material would be used more while contaminating less. The pasta question. The problem is… the same as always. When we talk about a new lbrick from recycled plasticsof sugar bricks or of others in the shape of a ‘staple’ that do not need cement to join together, the bottom line is that the construction industry should make a radical change in its processes. It is a huge liner that cannot be swerved overnight, no matter how many benefits these new materials have. And the same thing happens here. Although it is not about creating an alternative to cement, but rather using other rocks to extract the calcium that the mixture needs, the money comes into play in two ways. The first for the basalt deposits. If the cement industry has been organized around enormous limestone deposits to optimize processes, switching to basalt would imply relocating plants or creating new supply chains that would increase both time and costs. If something works… On the other hand, the margins of the cement industry, which has been shown to be extremely conservative throughout history. There is a product that works and changing something in the chain would involve carrying out a reorganization that they may not want to undertake. There is also the fact that yes, basalt has iron and aluminum as a byproduct, but the plants would have to be conditioned to be able to treat it properly, which would mean a huge initial investment. The authors of the study themselves indicate that it is difficult for an industry that for a century has been organized around Portland cement changed its way of acting one bit, but they also point out that, precisely for this reason, they have focused on finding materials such as basalt that are abundant, with reserves to maintain the current pace of construction for thousands of years and that emit less into the atmosphere. It is obtaining calcium from a different rock and its authors call on the industry, and other researchers, to experiment with new technologies that help accelerate the decarbonization of cement. The problem is that, as we say, there are too many drawbacks that the industry itself probably does not want to take on. Image | Cemco In Xataka | Coal is back in fashion in many countries. The problem is that it is clouding the sky from the solar panels

We had been looking for an alternative to cement for decades. We just found it in seashells

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The search for construction elements that move away from classic materials such as steel, concrete or cement makes sense from different fronts ranging from economics to sustainability through technical limitations. Without going any further, we can already see skyscrapers made of wood and some even compete to be the tallest in the world. Yes, wood is proposed as a serious alternative, but you can also give a twist to cement as we know it with a new old acquaintance: the shells on the beach. From waste to concrete ingredient. Seashells that are normally treated as waste can become a kind of substitute for the cement used for concrete, as a published study by the University of East London has concluded. in Construction Materials magazine. In fact, they can act both as a filling material and as a partial substitute for cement. Thus, microstructural analysis revealed that the shells, which are rich in calcium, help refine the porous structure of the concrete and promote the formation of additional binding compounds, that is, it even provides additional benefits in terms of performance. under the microscope. Scallop shells are composed by a range of 95 to 99% calcium carbonate (like limestone, the raw material for cement) presented in two crystalline forms, calcite and aragonite. The other 1-5% is the organic fraction, which serves as cement to bind the calcium crystals. The shells are a sort of biogenic limestone, chemically compatible with cement, which is still a hydraulic binder of limestone and clay. Up to 36% less cement. The process is also quite “simple”: grinding scallop shells to turn them into a fine powder suitable to replace part of the cement mixture. How much? Up to 36% without substantially altering the characteristics of the concrete. Why is it important. The partial replacement of cement with a natural waste material such as shells is an unexpected and novel solution to reduce the environmental impact of cement, currently responsible for approximately 7% of global carbon emissions. This percentage is so high not only because of the fuel required to heat the furnaces, but also because of the chemistry of the process itself. In fact, already has been experimented with ecological mortar. The person responsible for the study, the associate professor of Structural Engineering at the UEL and doctor Ali Abass contributes more context: “Concrete is everywhere and, consequently, its carbon footprint is enormous.” Regarding its applicability beyond the study, Abass is optimistic: “At moderate levels of substitution, concrete performs very well, meaning this solution could be scaled in real-world environments.” In addition, two problems are solved at once: “Millions of tonnes of shell waste are generated around the world every year, and most of it has no useful destination. If we can divert even a fraction into low-emission building materials, the environmental benefits could be significant. It’s a simple idea with real potential to transform part of the sector.” A giant step towards more sustainable construction. In short, the use of shells would allow us to cut significant amounts of CO₂ from one of the most polluting materials in the world and move towards more sustainable construction. In the absence of future industrial trials to support large-scale reliability, its adoption potential is notable, especially at a time of increasing calls for stricter environmental standards and scrutiny over carbon footprint calculations. In Xataka | Bloc is a brick that promises to lower the temperature around it by almost 10 degrees: its technology is that of the botijo In Xataka | In our battle against plastic, we have centrifuged bacteria. And its cellulose is postulated as the ideal substitute Cover | Rodolfo Quiros and Pok Rie

one creates cement, the other protects it

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Mars has become an obsession. Missions like those led by SpaceX demonstrate this and the truth is that going is the “simple” part. The really difficult thing is terraforming the planet to be able to carry out long-term missions in the field. In the movie ‘The Martian‘We already saw how an astronaut survived on Mars based on field-grown potatoes and, although it may seem like science fiction, we are already making progress on it. But we also need to build, and it is best to use Martian dust to create bricks. As? With the help of two bacteria. Biofoundation. Both the Moon and Mars are covered in dust. This mantle is made up of a series of elements that we can use to our advantage to create construction materials. It is much easier to figure out how to transform these materials into something useful than to carry kilos and kilos of materials from Earth, and in a study published in Frontiers in Microbiology addresses that problem. In it, researchers from the ‘Giulio Natta’ Department of Chemistry, Materials and Chemical Engineering of the Polytechnic of Milan describe the process of transforming Martian regolith into a concrete-like material through a process called biocementation. And the proposal is to use a duo of bacteria capable of carrying out this transformation. ‘Mason’ bacteria. The protagonists are the Sporosarcina pasteurii and the Choococcidiopsis and the key process of the technology is ‘Microbially Induced Calcium Carbonate Precipitation: a process by which microorganisms generate calcium carbonate at room temperature. In the case of the Sporosarcina pasteuriithe process is based on ureolysis. Thus, the bacteria produces the enzyme ureasewhich hydrolyzes urea into ammonia and carbonic acid. When released, it raises the pH of the environment, while carbonic acid dissociates into carbonate ions. When they combine with calcium ions present in the medium, they precipitate as calcium carbonate crystals on the bacterial cell walls and on soil particles. A confusing and technical explanation to say that they generate a waste that acts as a natural cement that joins the regolith particles Martian, transforming naturally loose dust into a compact material with compressive strengths similar to those of some concrete mixtures. BIOMEX. On the other hand, there is the Choococcidiopsis. It is one of the most resistant organisms we know – like the friendly tardigrades -. They are capable of surviving in conditions that simulate the Martian environment and, in fact, a few years ago the mission BIOMEX of the European Space Agency demonstrated that strains of this bacteria exposed without any shield for 18 months to both the vacuum of space and solar radiation were intact. Once they were rehydrated, they resumed their metabolic activities. This is important because we have already “proven” the Choococcidiopsis in space, and its role in this story is not because of its ability to convert regolith into concrete, the other one takes care of that, but because of its extreme resistance. What the researchers propose is an association between the two bacteria. Through photosynthesis, the Choococcidiopsis releases oxygen that creates a favorable microenvironment for the Sporosarcina pasteurii Do your job while, in turn, providing favorable conditions for your companion’s survival in the hostile Martian environment. Defensive arsenal. That is, while one works, the other provides food and defense. And, really, the defensive arsenal of the Choococcidiopsis It is imposing. As if it were the armor of a state-of-the-art tank, it has three lines of defense: The first is formed by extracellular polymeric substances that form a thick layer that filters almost 70% of UVA radiation, almost 70% of UVM radiation and almost 90% of UVC. The second line consists of antioxidants that bind to the outer membrane to act as a photoprotector, neutralizing the reactive oxygen species generated by radiation. And the third defense includes UV filters. As if that were not enough, Choococcidiopsis can self-repair its DNA if it is damaged by radiation. Beyond construction. It is resistant and resilient, but before launching flying bells and bacteria to Mars, the team itself details that you have to go step by step. Although different agencies want to build the first human habitat on Mars in the 2040s, it is no longer just that building on the planet is a problem: the question of how these pioneers will return must be answered with guarantees. There are plenty of projects underway to learn how to build and farm on Mars by imitating the planet’s characteristics. At the moment, they are demonstrating that Martian material can be converted into construction material, but there is still a long way to go, such as replicating Martian conditions on Earth to optimize these construction processes. And discoveries such as the work of these bacteria together can lead not only to novelties in terms of construction, but also to potential uses of the capabilities of some of them to produce oxygen on Mars or even use the by-products they discard as an element for crops in space. Ammonia, for example, which could be used as fertilizer for crops. Images | T. Darienko, Interstellar Lab In Xataka | All the resources we can potentially extract from the Moon, illustrated in this revealing graphic

Salt water, CO2 and electricity are the new recipe to create more sustainable cement and concrete

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Cement is one of the most used artificial materials on the planet, but has two problems. The first, environmentalsince its production emits a remarkable amount of greenhouse gases. The second, the shortage of raw materials such as sand, whose mined also has an environmental impact. A new material. A team of researchers from the Northwestern University and the company ️Cemex Innovation Holding has developed A new construction material through a process that combines marine water, carbon dioxide (CO2) and electricity. This new material can be used in the production of cement and concrete and, according to its developers, in its production more CO2 than it emits. That is why the new material has the ability to make the most sustainable cement and concrete production. Salt water, CO2 and current. The method to create the new material begins by introducing electrodes in the salt water to circulate an electric current that separates water molecules into hydrogen gas and hydroxide ions. As explained by the development responsibleWhile the current circulates, CO2 bubbles are added to the water in order to change the chemical composition of the water by increasing the concentration of bicarbonate ions. The ions of these two compounds (hydroxide and bicarbonate) react with other ions that can be dissolved in marine water, such as calcium and magnesium. From these chemical reactions both calcium carbonate (CACO3) and magnesium hydroxide arise. The first compound, Continue explaining the teamit is in itself a carbon sink; The second, on the other hand, is able to capture additional carbon interacting with CO2 molecules. Copying nature. According to its developers, the process is similar to that used by corals and mollusks to build their structures and shells. The key difference is that these animals use their own metabolism instead of electrical energy to detonate the chemical process. Different uses. The resulting material, a Mixture of calcium carbonate and magnesium hydroxidecan be used as a substitute for the sand or gravel used in concrete manufacturing, but can also be used to produce cement, plaster and even paint. More control. The resulting material has an important advantage and that its properties can be altered by introducing small changes in the elaboration process such as the current and its voltage, or the duration of the injection of CO2, among others. Thus it is possible to achieve a more porous or more dense and hard substance. The details of the process and its results were published In an article In the magazine Advanced Sustainable Systems. Optimizing the capture of CO2. Another important factor is the calcium carbonate ratio and magnesium hydroxide obtained in the resulting material. This ratio depends, for example, the captured amount of carbon dioxide. According to The developers explaina 50/50 mixture of the compounds can allow to capture a ton of CO2 for every two tons of material. A more harmless waste. The process, as we indicated at the beginning, begins with the separation of water molecules. This generates, in addition to the ions used to unleash the subsequent chemical, hydrogen reactions. This gas is not only harmless but can also be used as an energy reserve. Of course, because electricity is part of the manufacturing process of this material, it must be taken into account that the net emissions of its production will depend on the mix energetic. That is, if the energy used in the process emits CO2 that is not captured, part of the capture would be lost. Another detail to keep in mind is that a good part of CO2 emissions associated with cement production They are generated at a different stage of its manufacture, when the sand is crushed with the limestone and heated at high temperatures capable of decomposing calcium carbonate. This problem occurs if the material is used in the creation of the cement and not when it is mixed later with it in the production of concrete. In Xataka | Construction has a gigantic environmental problem. Its solution: Solar cement plants Image | Northwestern University

We have a problem with the future of cement and excess plastic. Someone has come up with the most obvious

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Mortar is easy. We have been doing thousands of years and, although we have refined the formula so that it is not the same as They used 10,000 years ago in Jericho or in the construction of First pyramids of Egyptthe recipe is simple. A part of cement (or an binder in antiquity), one of water and three of sand. With that, we have a mixture that carries millennia serving perfectly. But, although we have been polishing the formula with best materialsthe mortar has several problems, and the researchers at the University of Newcastle have proposed solve them. As? With an ecological mortar that adds plastic to the dough. Sand at the point of view. The use of sand is Key for mortar production. Also for concrete, this being a material that we have been trying to withdraw thanks to alternatives They appear from time to time. And the reason to use sand is a problem is because We are exhausting reservations World Cups of this material. In addition, make mortar, cement and concrete It is very polluting. HE esteem That the cement industry is responsible for approximately 5% of CO₂ global emissions and, this being a fundamental component of the mortar and concrete, the more we reduce its use, the better. Extracting sand can also cause ecological damage In rivers and beaches, as well as health risks due to particle inhalation, for example. Ecological mortar. It is there where research to create green concrete or the one we mention from the University of Newcastle comes into play. In his studyThe team details how thanks to Aergel Silica and recycled plastic they have created a new mortar that manages to be respectful of the environment. The team developed different mixtures by adding more or less substitute for the sand and found that the most effective is the one with 7% of silica aerogels and 3% of PET plastic. White is the silica aerogel. THE GRAY THE PET Plastic Rescue plastic. But … effective in what? Well, curiously, this new mortar comes to solve several problems of conventional sand. The first thing that highlights is that the new mixture of mortar is able to reduce the loss of heat from a structure by up to 55% if compared to the conventional mortar. This helps both to cool a stay in summer and to retain heat in cold months. This occurs because conventional mortar is a bad thermal insulator, allowing heat to escape easily. But not only this: the new mortar is also lighter than the conventional one, which implies a lower cost in transport by associated fuel savings. Thermal conductivity tests of this ecological mortar. We need to try it in the real world … 2×1. Apart from contributing to a construction more efficient at the energy level, this plastic -based mortar Solve another problem directly. PET plastic particles used come from crushed plastic waste (bottles, mainly), so the massive use in mortar can help reduce that contamination of plastics that brings us head. Tests are missing. The team explains that they have achieved British standards for the construction of this new mortar and are already working on the following big step: finding collaborators as a construction company to request financing and build a house with the ecological mortar. It is what will allow them to obtain the direct evidence of that potential energy savings, something that until they put into practice in a large -scale real environment, it remains only in the theory. But well, while we wait to see if they get that opportunity, the truth is that it is striking how researchers from the whole globe are committed to Jubilate cement, mortar and concrete. Another thing is that the new more ecological alternatives are able to compete in costs, which is what would ultimately convince those who raise the buildings. Images | Newcastle University, Scientedirect In Xataka | In Europe, recycled plastic is worth more than the new and the culprit is a known old man: the councils directive

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