Invasive alien plants as an alternative resource for concrete production – multi-scale optimization including carbon compensation, cleared land and saved water runoff in South Africa

Göswein, Verena; Silvestre, José Dinis; Lamb, Stephen; Gonçalves, Alexandre B.; Pittau, Francesco; Freire, Fausto; Oosthuizen, Dirk; Lord, Andrew; Habert, Guillaume

doi:10.1016/j.resconrec.2020.105361

Cited by 19 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 53 publications

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“…There are a variety of methods to produce such bio-cements, and depending on feedstocks, it has been proposed that these cements could lead to a reduction in GHG emissions of more than 70% relative to Portland cement [53]. Distinct from a mineralization process, plant biomass has been proposed as an alternative to mineral aggregates, where photosynthesis during cultivation could contribute to carbon-fixing [55,56] and can lower the embodied energy of the concrete [57]. In addition to carbon-fixing, these plant-based materials can provide better insulation, thus potentially lowering building operation energy demands [55].…”

Section: Biological Sequestration Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Although, carbon taxes as a measure to drive emissions reductions (e.g., [68]) could benefit their use if they can provide lower GHG emissions. Similarly, the inclusion of biomass in concrete can lead to challenges: it typically cannot be applied in load-bearing applications [55] and for a cementbased material to reach near-net-zero CO2 emissions, biomass must constitute a significant volume of the composite [56]. These factors add to the complexity of turning cement-based materials into net-CO2-uptake systems.…”

Section: Challenges and Research Needsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Opportunities and challenges for engineering construction materials as carbon sinks

et al. 2021

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Population growth and urbanization over the coming decades are anticipated to drive unprecedented demand for infrastructure materials and energy resources. Unfortunately, factors such as the degree of resource consumption, the energy-intensive nature of production, and the chemical-reaction driven emissions make infrastructure materials production industries among the greatest contributors to anthropogenic CO2 emissions. Yet there is an often-overlooked potential environmental benefit to infrastructure materials: most remain in use for decades and their long service lives can facilitate extended storage of carbon. In this perspective, we present an overview of recent technological advancements that can support infrastructure materials acting as a global, distributed carbon sink and discuss areas for further research and development. We present mechanisms to quantify the extent to which the embodied carbon will be removed from the carbon cycle for a long enough period of time to provide carbon sequestration and climate benefit. We conclude that it is possible to unlock the vast potential to engineer a carbon sequestration system that simultaneously meets societal need for expanding infrastructure systems; however, complexities in how these systems are engineered must be systematically and quantitatively incorporated into materials design.

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Section: Biological Sequestration Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Challenges and Research Needsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Opportunities and challenges for engineering construction materials as carbon sinks

et al. 2021

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“…Sometimes, invasive plants can have a negative impact on water flows as in the case of Acacia sp. (Göswein et al, 2021) while in forests they slows down the natural regeneration (Dyderski and Jagodziński, 2020). Invasive species do not encounter problems in growing in urban areas (Park et al, 2021, Dambiec et al, 2022, spreading easily through the inner rivers (Wagner et al, 2020), the anthropogenic pressure accentuating their spread (El-Barougy et al, 2021, Park et al, 2021, Zhang et al, 2022, and increased resistance to drought and temperature variation (Park et al, 2021).…”

Section: The Impact Of Invasive Plants On Environment and Human Healthmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impact of Invasive Plant Species on Ecosystems, Biodiversity Loss and Their Potential Industrial Applications

Cocîrlea¹,

Oancea²

2022

CTNS

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Invasive plant species may cause not only several health problems, but also economic and environmental negative impacts – a gradual decrease of biodiversity and decline of soil fertility, issues that have recently come into the attention of several organizations including the research ones, in order to limit the spread of such species. The control methods of invasive species are often effective on the short term and include the probability of ecosystem imbalance over time, so that an efficient and sustainable management method that could add value to products or improve some industrial processes are strongly required. This study describes the potential of alien plants to maintain the quality of human life through different types of valorization, such as pharmaceutical, agriculture or food industry applications, energy production, paper technology and natural dyeing of various materials. Invasive plant species represent a global problem, accelerated by the current level of pollution and the rapidly-evolving society. Knowledge of chemical composition of different plant parts of invasive species, their potential for developing new products and their health effects will contribute to an efficient control, mechanical, chemical or biological, and an integrated management.

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“…Such aggregate replacement can benefit thermal or acoustic properties, but is limited to use in applications where specified compressive strength is relatively low. 101 Recent developments in Brazil 15 and South Africa 102 show promising options for concrete made with biomass aggregate combined with high SCM substitution cement in one-to two-story buildings, offering potential carbon storage. In addition, bioderived chemical admixtures and reinforcing fibers have been explored to enhance the properties of cement-based materials (e.g., Cre ´py and coworkers 103,104 ); however, these are used in low quantities and are expected to contribute negligible amounts to CO 2 uptake.…”

Section: Material-level Interventionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Achieving net zero greenhouse gas emissions in the cement industry via value chain mitigation strategies

et al. 2021

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Invasive alien plants as an alternative resource for concrete production – multi-scale optimization including carbon compensation, cleared land and saved water runoff in South Africa

Cited by 19 publications

References 53 publications

Opportunities and challenges for engineering construction materials as carbon sinks

Opportunities and challenges for engineering construction materials as carbon sinks

Impact of Invasive Plant Species on Ecosystems, Biodiversity Loss and Their Potential Industrial Applications

Achieving net zero greenhouse gas emissions in the cement industry via value chain mitigation strategies

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