What if the waste left behind by steelmaking and coal utilization could help build a more sustainable future? The Ohio State University researchers are making it possible. Their latest research introduces a new chemical looping process that transforms steelmaking waste and coal ash into valuable materials for cement production, while also capturing carbon dioxide and producing clean hydrogen. 🌎 Led by Assistant Professor Shang Zhai, the team developed a process that accelerates carbon dioxide mineralization by four to nine times under ambient conditions, creating materials that can partially replace traditional cement. “Because this chemical looping process achieves an order-of-magnitude boost in carbonation kinetics alongside very attractive technoeconomics, it provides a highly scalable path forward for circular industrial waste management,” Zhai shared. Beyond reducing industrial waste and the environmental footprint of cement production, the process could also lower processing ...