During the last week in March 2007, research scientists and engineers from ten nations met in Barga, Italy to explore alternative technologies for stabilization and containment of radioactive materials. Despite the fact that the U.S. government has poured billions of dollars into vitrification programs – none of which are fully operational – this conference demonstrated growing scientific interest in more practical and economical technologies.
Many of the presentations given over the tightly scheduled four-day conference explored ceramic wasteforms and containment systems. Six presenters addressed ceramic cement technology now being developed by CeraLith in partnership with Argonne National Laboratory and researchers at the Russian Federal Nuclear Center (VNIIEF) and Mayak. These stimulated considerable interest among scientists focused on the processing and disposal of radioactive waste materials.
Ceramic cement is the only proposed solution that offers an ambient temperature process providing micro- as well as macro-encapsulation of contaminants in a durable and non-leachable phosphate form. In addition to immobilization and encapsulation of wastes, ceramic cement can also provide a high-strength structural material that performs well in high-temperature, radioactive environments.
At its 2007 conference in Paris the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released a report confirming what everyone already knew – that people are to blame for global warming.
Since the Kyoto Conference there has been a growing concern within industrial circles that, as the unpleasant truth becomes generally accepted, politicians will be forced to address the challenge of global climate change.
Carbon dioxide (CO2) levels in the atmosphere are higher than at any time in the past 650,000 years, and global temperatures have increased about 1.3° F since the dawn of the industrial age. This translates into a 7-inch rise in sea level during the last hundred years, and scientists are predicting larger problems in the 21st century.
Global warming map showing temperature shifts
States and cities are enacting measures to scale back CO2, the primary heat-trapping gas. The leaders of major U.S. corporations recently called for mandatory emission limits. But what does this mean in practical terms? Most people assume that burning fossil fuels is the primary cause of CO2 emissions. This is generally true, especially in industrialized countries that depend heavily on oil. The United States, for example, is responsible for about 25% of the greenhouse gases created each year. However, there are other large sources of CO2 emissions.
Of the total estimate for carbon dioxide emissions from industrial processes in 2006, over 60 percent is attributed to cement manufacture. When a mineral calcium carbonate (CaCO3) is heated (calcined) in a kiln to above 825°C, it is converted to lime (CaO) and carbon dioxide (CO2). The lime is combined with other materials to produce clinker (an intermediate product from which cement is made), and the carbon dioxide is released to the atmosphere.
In 2006, the United States produced an estimated 101 million tons of cement,* resulting in the direct release of 50.5 million tons of CO2 into the atmosphere. This calculation is independent of the gases released by the combustion of fuels consumed in making cement, which can equal the amount produced by calcining.
Concrete is the principal building material in regions where wood is unavailable. Therefore, production of cement worldwide totaled 2.5 billion tons in 2006, and it is expected to increase.
An Alternative
The politics of global warming is already beginning to impact the cement industry in the U.S. and Europe, as carbon taxes loom as a growing threat. Carbon taxes could change the way calcining is done, and might result in the export of a large portion of the cement industry’s capacity to developing countries.
If carbon taxes become a reality, we may see greater interest in alternative fuels and the use of partially precalcined wastes from other industries as methods of decreasing CO2 emissions.
Alternatively, we propose a paradigm shift – from Portland cement to ceramic cement. The basic formulation of ceramic cement requires metal oxides not calcium carbonate, and total emissions from the manufacture of ceramic cements are 75% less than for Portland cement. This environmentally friendly feature, combined with performance characteristics that greatly exceed those of Portland cement, make ceramic cements the best choice for building a better future.
* USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries, 2007
As a DOE contractor in the Initiatives for Proliferation Prevention (IPP) program, CeraLith has joined the United States Industry Coalition, Inc. (USIC). This is a nonprofit association of American businesses, associations and academic institutions actively engaged in technology commercialization in the service of national security, nonproliferation and global peace.
CeraLith shares with other USIC members a commitment to making the world more peaceful and secure through commercial partnerships with scientists and engineers previously engaged in weapons of mass destruction development for the Former Soviet Union.
Together with Argonne National Laboratory, our cooperating U.S. partner, CeraLith is applying its knowledge and expertise in business, product development and marketing to cost-shared projects at former Soviet weapons institutes, with the goal to create sustainable jobs and income for both the U.S. and Russian partners.
Our IPP project, “Building Materials for Nuclear Safety, Security and Sustainability”, is featured on the USIC website.
