Traditional concrete production, specifically the manufacture of cement, is a significant contributor to global carbon dioxide emissions. Addressing this issue is Dr. Lori Tunstall, an assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering at Colorado School of Mines, who has received over $1 million in funding from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation to advance her innovative work in sustainable building materials.

Dr. Tunstall’s research centers on the potential of biocharBiochar is a carbon-rich material created from biomass decomposition in low-oxygen conditions. It has important applications in environmental remediation, soil improvement, agriculture, carbon sequestration, energy storage, and sustainable materials, promoting efficiency and reducing waste in various contexts while addressing climate change challenges. More to replace a substantial portion of the high-emission cement used in concrete. Her patent-pending, jet-black concrete mix has demonstrated the capability to substitute upwards of 50 percent of the cement without compromising the material’s key attributes, including durability, malleability, or cost. This substitution directly mitigates the carbon burden associated with the concrete industry, which accounts for approximately 8 percent of all man-made CO2 emissions globally.

The newly funded research focuses on solving a related environmental challenge: the disposal of municipal solid waste (MSW)Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) is the everyday trash or garbage produced by households and businesses. It includes a variety of materials, such as food scraps, paper, plastics, and yard waste.  MSW forms a potential feedstock category for biochar production provided that it should be free More. Landfilled MSW is a major domestic source of human-generated methane emissions. The project aims to determine the commercial viability of using MSW as the feedstockFeedstock refers to the raw organic material used to produce biochar. This can include a wide range of materials, such as wood chips, agricultural residues, and animal manure. More to produce the necessary biochar. If successful, this process would deliver a dual environmental benefit, simultaneously reducing the carbon footprint of construction while diverting garbage from landfills and mitigating methane release.

The combined impact of addressing both concrete and MSW emissions is substantial, tackling a portion of global CO2 equivalent emissions comparable to those of the entire aviation and passenger vehicle sectors combined. The funding is critical for exploring the technical challenges associated with MSW, primarily its variability, and testing the assumptions required for consistent biochar production. Dr. Tunstall has founded a startup, ZeroTwelve, to expedite the process of bringing this low-carbon, biochar-based concrete to market, underscoring the shift from laboratory research toward industrial application. This initiative represents a focused approach to transforming waste streams into stable, necessary building components.