The Canadian city of Langford has become the first in the country to adopt a low-carbon concrete policy.
The initiative seeks to limit harmful CO2 emissions by mandating the use of carbon dioxide mineralization technology in concrete production sites.
This new requirement will come into force starting June 1st, 2022, and will apply to all solicited or city-owned projects larger than 50 cubic meters.
Cement, a prime component in the making of concrete, is said to be responsible for roughly 7% of all CO2 emissions worldwide.
And changing its composition will not only curb emissions and make the material more eco-friendly – it will also make it stronger.
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The technology that the new policy mandates is known as CO2 mineralization and it involves injecting captured carbon dioxide into concrete during the mixing process.
As a result, the carbon becomes an inherent part of the concrete, while also strengthening the compound.
With the adoption of the low-carbon concrete policy, Langford officials hope to make their city one of the nation’s leaders in climate action.
Namely, the policy will see concrete producers deploying carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) technologies to meet demand in new construction, which will help see wider implementation of this climate-saving technology.
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Furthermore, Langford is no stranger to carbon mineralization. In fact, the technology is already being used in the city and passing the policy only made sense after some discussions were held with experts in the field.
As part of the new policy, companies will now also be required to submit a document called the Type 3 Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) that discloses the components of the concrete used in every one of their projects. In a sense, it will act as a concrete nutrition label.
