The cement industry represents one of the most important Sources of global carbon dioxide emissions: contributions up to the total of around 8% – More than the entire aviation sector. Reducing the environmental impact of cement production is therefore an absolute priority in the Vecht against climate change.
In the past we have already told you about solutions such as Zerocal or Microsoft’s efforts to have less influence on data accents; The latest development Comes from Switzerland. All Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI)A multidisciplinary team has developed an innovative Model based on artificial intelligence (AI) to speed up the search for more sustainable cement formulations.
At the basis of the problem is the Width -production processimportant part of the cement, that requires extremely high temperaturesup to 1400 ° C. This not only implies high energy consumption, often based on fossil fuels, but also involved The release of CO₂ chemically linked to limestone. An effective solution to reduce the carbon donation of cement exists in the Partial replacement of the vowel with alternative materials. However, identifying effective and sustainable combinations is A complex challengeGiven the wide range of variables.
The PSI research group has therefore designed a predictive modeling system based on artificial neural networks, capable of Simulate the mechanical and environmental properties of different cement formulases in a few milliseconds. The approach allows you By sailing thousands of laboratory testsDrastically reducing development times and increasing research efficiency. “It’s like having a digital recipe book for an environmentally friendly cement,” says Romana Boiger, Mathematics and the first author of the study.
The model is not limited to calculating performance from a recipe, but it can also reverse the process: Define the resistance and sustainability objectives and to obtain the compositions that put them at its best. To do this, the researchers integrated “genetic algorithms”, inspired by natural selection, able to find optimum solutions in a targeted way. A paradigm change in the design of materials.
Already today there are promising formulationsCompatible with large -scale production and able to offer a good balance between mechanical performance and reduction of emissions. Some alternative materials – such as industrial processing waste or flying axis – are already used, but they are not enough to meet the growing global demand. AI’s contribution can therefore prove to be decisive to identify effective alternative combinations worldwide.
“Our workflow can be expanded and adapted to different contexts, such as marine or desert environments, and represents a starting point for the sustainable design of a wide range of materials,” concludes Nikolaos Prasianakis, co-author of the study.
In a world where more concrete is consumed than food – about 1.5 kg per day per person – Even small improvements in emissions per ton can have a huge impact on the environmentEquivalent to removing millions of cars from the road. The hope is that artificial intelligence can really give a new era of concrete, greener and more intelligent.
#Sustainable #cement #revolutionize #construction #sector