Bacterial Carbon-Neutral Cement Production

The construction industry is responsible for a significant portion of global CO2 emissions, with cement production alone contributing 2.9 billion tonnes of CO2 in 2021. This represents more than seven percent of total global emissions, primarily due to the CO2 released during cement heating. 

However, Postdoc Colleen Varaidzo Manyumwa at DTU is working on a solution at a micro level. By transferring genes from microorganisms to a tough strain of bacteria, they have engineered bacteria to produce an enzyme capable of binding CO2 to limestone, or calcium carbonate, a key component of cement. 

This approach mimics the way corals capture CO2 from the ocean, offering a novel way to help the construction industry reduce its carbon footprint.