Concrete, the second most-used substance on earth after water (!), is also one of the chief sources of CO2 emissions - and this startup has a new zero-emission approach to producing cement that could fully decarbonize the industry. https://www.cnbc.com/2023/10/17/this-startup-ceo-claims-he-can-completely-decarbonize-the-cement-industry.html
Mmmmmm. CNBC needs better editors. I'll buy it's the most used *construction material* - but the most used commodities today are coal, iron ore, and wheat, in terms of bulk amounts shipped.
@Biggles concrete isn’t bulk shipped, that’s an apples and oranges comparison.
Also, from the article:
"Minor bulks include steel products, sugars, cement, and cover the remaining one-third of global dry bulk trade."
Note also that concrete-quality *sand* is becoming a rare commodity. There are *sand pirates* who come in under the cover of darkness and illegally dredge up and steal "the good sand". Which is fascinating.
It's a real problem - people get killed for it. There's collateral damage - ships running no lights on a busy river in the dark of night are a hazard to other shipping.
Turns out the sand needed for construction is fairly rare at this point.
@Biggles “Sand Pirates” sounds like an enjoyably cheesy 80s-era B movie sci-fi adventure