Cutting Cement Industry CO₂ Emissions through Metakaolin Use in Construction

Cement production is one of the most important industries on the planet, and humans have relied on is use dating back to the dawn of civilization. Cement manufacturing has increased at an exponential rate, reaching 3 billion metric tons in 2015, representing a 6.3% annual growth rate and accounting for around 5–8% of global carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. Geopolymer materials, which are inorganic polymers made from a wide range of aluminosilicate powders, such as metakaolin, fly ash, and blast furnace or steel slags, have also been elicited for use due to concerns about the high energy consumption and CO2 emissions connected with cement and concrete manufacturing. This study focused on the mechanical and durability properties of metakaolin in concrete production. X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) analyses were used to confirm the characteristics of kaolin and metakaolin. The results showed that 15 wt.% metakaolin can be used to partially replace cement, and that metakaolin, when synthesized with alkaline activators, can also be utilized as a geopolymer to totally replace cement in concrete production. For predicting the compressive strength of different concrete mixtures, few practical models have been presented. This research has shed light on the possibility of utilizing ecologically friendly materials in the building, construction, and transportation sectors to decrease carbon dioxide emissions

A Review on Lignin-Based Carbon Fibres for Carbon Footprint Reduction

Carbon fibers (CFs) are made mostly from a non-environmentally friendly polyacrylonitrile (PAN) and little from rayon. PAN-based CFs, require huge amount of energy for its production aside its contributions to the global CO2 emission. Therefore, there is recourse to a more environmentally friendly sources of CFs biomass. Recently lignin has been recognized as a potential renewable raw material for carbon fibers to replace PAN-based. The magnitude and quality of CO2 emission of lignin-based CFs are dependent on the processing route. On this premise; this review examines the various lignin-based CFs processing route adopted by researcher in the recent past to establish the most viable route with minimum carbon footprint emission. Outcome of the review shows that the major advantages of aromatic polymer (AP) generated precursor over PAN is the presence of higher quantity of guaiacyl units and oxygen content which makes the stabilization phase efficient and faster requiring less energy. Though there are several methods and options for the various stages of conversion of lignocellulosic biomass into CFs as highlighted in the study, establishing an optimum processing route will be a trade-off amongst various issues of concern; carcinogenic risk, carbon footprint emission, CFs Yield and mechanical strength of the CFs. Inferences from the study shows that the L-CF significantly produced reduced climatic impact in terms of CO2 emission