The problem with concrete - from Bill Gates

Investing in clean technology is a large part of the efforts Bill Gates has taken on to reduce greenhouse gasses. 

One area of improvement the tech billionaire focuses on is reducing the use of ordinary cement which is responsible for approximately eight percent of the world’s annual greenhouse gas emissions.  In order to do this, Bill Gates says we need change and innovation to bring down these emissions.

ORCEM cement is an environmentally sound product that reduces greenhouse gasses. It is made from GGBFS (ground granulated blast-furnace slag), a by-product from production of iron which involves no quarrying and requires very little energy to produce. It eliminates the need for crushing and burning which are required in the manufacturing of ordinary cement. The elimination of these two processes reduces fuel consumption by 43% and CO2 emissions by over 40%.  This gives ORCEM cement an extremely low carbon footprint.  Currently, ORCEM’s research and development is aiming to reduce CO2 emissions per unit of concrete by another 50%.

To help in the reduction of greenhouse gases, countries all over the world are using GGBFS cement more and more.  Here in the Bay Area alone, some of the high profile GGBFS project include the new Apple headquarters, the 49ers Levi Stadium, San Francisco Public Utilities Commission and the eastern span of the Bay Bridge.