Concrete that can generate electricity
An international collaboration is developing a thermoelectric carbon-neutral concrete with a high CO2 uptake potential and storage capacity.
The group of different universities and industry bodies are aiming to pioneer the thermoelectric concrete named TE-CO2NCRETE.
Led by the The University of Texas at Arlington, USA, the partnership aims to advance technological know-how for net-zero carbon concrete at a global scale.
Concrete is the most widely used manufactured material globally, accounting for a minimum of 8% of global energy-related carbon dioxide emissions.
Maria Konsta-Gdoutos from The University of Texas at Arlington says 'Engineering the nanostructure of concrete also will allow the material to capture thermal energy from the surroundings and convert it into usable electrical energy...'
The collaboration includes the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee’s Concrete Sustainability and Resilience Center, USA; the French National Centre for Scientific Research; the Technical Universities in Dresden and Berlin, Germany; and the Politecnico di Torino, Italy. Other stakeholders include the Portland Cement Association and the American Concrete Institute.
