olivine could make cement production way less harmful to the climate

[butters]

cement is one of the largest contributors to CO2 to the atmosphere; it's a double-dip, releasing the gas during creation of the cement as well as in the heating of limestone to produce 'clinker' used as a binder.
By introducing olivine into the equation, it results in a stronger concrete and one that's far less damaging to the environment.

that is to say if their study is borne out.
the use of the word 'could' in the article signifies this isn't a settled fact just yet but things are looking really positive given the amount of cement produced globally, year after year.

A small team of materials scientists and environmental engineers at Imperial College London has found that using olivine in cement could result in carbon-negative concrete. In their study, published in the journal Royal Society Open Science, the group conducted experiments with cement mixing that resulted in a way to produce it in a more climate-friendly manner.

The researchers found that adding products from olivine to cement mix instead of the clinker resulted in a cement that was not only more Earth-friendly, but also stronger and more durable. They note that olivine is an abundant mineral that contains silica and magnesium sulfate, which can be extracted and which also reacts with CO2, resulting in sequestration.

The researchers note that if the process were scaled up, the CO2 used in the process could be pulled either directly from the air around the plant or by capturing the gas as it was emitted from fossil fuels as they are burned while heating the mixture. They state that depending on how much nesquehonite was added to the cement mixture, the process could be either carbon-neutral or carbon negative.

https://techxplore.com/news/2024-05-olivine-cement-production-result-carbon.html

 

[PaxNurgle]

Olivine, the same mineral that forms peridot gemstones. Interesting. If there are enough commercially extractable peridot/olivine deposits that sounds promising.

 

[butters]

Olivine, the same mineral that forms peridot gemstones. Interesting. If there are enough commercially extractable peridot/olivine deposits that sounds promising.

it's just about everywhere

The primary component of the Earth's upper mantle,[9] it is a common mineral in Earth's subsurface, but weathers quickly on the surface. For this reason, olivine has been proposed as a good candidate for accelerated weathering to sequester carbon dioxide from the Earth's oceans and atmosphere, as part of climate change mitigation. Olivine also has many other historical uses, such as the gemstone peridot (or chrysolite), as well as industrial applications like metalworking processes.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olivine