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A Fly in the Ointment: Turning Cement Green
I've noted several times that a big problem in a pave-our-way-out-of-distress stimulus program is that it also means a heavy CO2 impact from all that cement. But over at OpenLeft the blogger Freeranger notes a couple of articles on the use of fly ash to drastically lower the carbon impact of cement. Hooray for innovation (even if not exactly new).
It's important not to get in a mad rush to fix things that create bigger problems. Our approach to ethanol 2 years ago is a case of furiously flawed policy in the guise of alternative energy - both the huge industry payouts without creating competition and new solutions (actually blocking foreign providers of efficient ethanol through draconian tariffs), along with eco- and food supply damage through the willy-nilly rush to grow and conver to ethanol crops.
The reason the needed solutions are complex is because the problems are complex. The solution chosen may not be ideal, and sitting still doing nothing is typically not a good choice, but there's no replacement for reading the fine print. We need a forward-looking energy policy, there will be lots of experiments and mistakes, and we need to switch gears when we find a mistake - not "full speed ahead whatever the problem". Even with fly ash, there might be unforeseen problems (it got an unfair bad reputation some time ago, and it seems that proper usage has addressed these, but widespread usage in various scenarios can bring out new issues - caveat emptor).
There's no free lunch. Unless you're a fly.
It's important not to get in a mad rush to fix things that create bigger problems. Our approach to ethanol 2 years ago is a case of furiously flawed policy in the guise of alternative energy - both the huge industry payouts without creating competition and new solutions (actually blocking foreign providers of efficient ethanol through draconian tariffs), along with eco- and food supply damage through the willy-nilly rush to grow and conver to ethanol crops.
The reason the needed solutions are complex is because the problems are complex. The solution chosen may not be ideal, and sitting still doing nothing is typically not a good choice, but there's no replacement for reading the fine print. We need a forward-looking energy policy, there will be lots of experiments and mistakes, and we need to switch gears when we find a mistake - not "full speed ahead whatever the problem". Even with fly ash, there might be unforeseen problems (it got an unfair bad reputation some time ago, and it seems that proper usage has addressed these, but widespread usage in various scenarios can bring out new issues - caveat emptor).
There's no free lunch. Unless you're a fly.
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Des-
And you can also use more recycled materials in the road surface ie old worn pelletiezed tires ,
that will not add to the carbon footprint .The rubber becomes inert if mixed and dried winthin the cement .
January 2, 2009 4:29 AM | Reply | Permalink
Green concrete from a different tech. An elegant idea, although a bit of a pipe dream, presently.
January 2, 2009 7:58 AM | Reply | Permalink
Hey PSA, the 'pipe dreams' link doesn't work.
January 2, 2009 8:17 AM | Reply | Permalink
Sorry, Calera dot biz, a Godaddy free page.
January 2, 2009 1:46 PM | Reply | Permalink
Good concept. Some environmental concerns, as fly ash is not inert, and contains a compendium of heavy metals, dioxin, furin, etc..An article about the use of fly ash, (admittedly not captive in a 'concrete' matrix), points out some of the pitfalls, (the golf course where fly ash was used intensively is being suggested as a superfund site).
January 2, 2009 8:16 AM | Reply | Permalink
Here's some REAL GREEN concrete....
http://www.eartheasy.com/article_hemp_homes.htm
Fly ash is to the coal industry what heavy metals are to the chem industry; a by-product that is worse for consumers than the benefits provided by the commercial products they are3 derived from.
That word "derivative" sure has become much more meaningful of late.
Instead of living in denial of the negative aspect of our process, we need to look towards a fundamental change both in our consumption and in our production of energy.
And the only real losers when we correct these issues are the monopolists who want to dominate industry with their pollution-causing non-alternatives.
January 2, 2009 11:32 AM | Reply | Permalink
Cool. And if your house ever catches fire, it'll just be another excuse for a block party!
p.s. good point regarding looking toward changes in consumption and production, (not just of energy either).
January 2, 2009 11:44 AM | Reply | Permalink
In North Texas, there is now a growing battle over their definition of "green cement:
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/opinion/editorials/stories/DN-ashgrove_08edi.State.Edition1.1f89a87.html
There, the issue is official favoritism toward relatively new plants that burn half the energy and emit less pollution than the circa-1960's ones still operating. This has resulted in the nation's first purchasing regs to favor "green cement." It's also forced the operator of the oldest kilns in North Texas, Ash Grove Cement, to sue a half dozen local governments, including Dallas and Ft. Worth.
And "miguelitoh2o" is absolutely correct. Fly Ash is full of toxic metals. This is just another form of corporate recycling - they recycle their crap into our bodies. When the cement plants charge polluters to burn their hazardous waste in kilns still operating the way they did when Gunsmoke was #1, they also call it "recycling."
January 2, 2009 2:01 PM | Reply | Permalink
Good post, Des.
If I may add, we also need to be on guard for the inevitable "see, everything Democrats and/or government do just makes things worse" meme that the press will lap up like dogs around vomit.
They're going to be doing a lot of stuff, much of it innovative--i.e. untested and not yet debugged. Problems are inevitable. They're also going to be dumping a massive amount of money into the economy fast, meaning that shocking anecdotes about that great Republican booger man named Waste Fraud and Abuse will follow and those anecdotes will be portrayed as the norm. (Especially if they involve black people.)
These story lines have been beloved by reactionaries for decades. We need to be prepared to push back against both of them lines when they reappear, because Ceiling Cat knows the Fourth Estate won't do it for us.
January 2, 2009 2:12 PM | Reply | Permalink
Anyone who grew up in Des Moines, Iowa, remembers the wastelands we called "Lost Planets", which was nothing more or less than a huge, 100+ acre cement plant dumping ground on the riverbottom land between the west side and the south side, very near to the Waterworks plant.
While it was a great spot for fledgling hippies of the 60's and 70's to trip on, it represents just how powerful these "cement people" are in the whole scheme of things. Some of the most valuable and well-located, beautiful riverside property in Des Moines was converted into a dangerous, boggy wasteland of white, pasty "mud" that blew up big clouds of grey-white dust whenever it was too dry.
Maybe it is time to correct our obvious errors before the fact, rather than after the fact.
Consider that profane balance scale in Gore's "Inconvenient Truth..."
Can anyone in their right mind still justifiably balance the contrived value of those gold bars against the wellness of our whole planet?
Too bad we let "them" steal them the past 8 years. They have pushed more than one limit past it's physical boundaries.
We once asked "How long, to the point of no return..."
Now we have to ask "how many of those points have we crossed in the past 8 years?"
Maybe the polar bear can fill us in on what we missed.
January 2, 2009 2:40 PM | Reply | Permalink