7 ms·

Might also be good for concrete production, perhaps. Most cement plants burn loads of coal to heat up the limestone, producing loads of CO2 in the process. Not

Might also be good for concrete production, perhaps. Most cement plants burn loads of coal to heat up the limestone, producing loads of CO2 in the process. Not sure if this reactor could heat up the kiln to >1,000C. Seems like there's some interest in the UK, so perhaps this could be a good solution for on-site production in remote areas... https://www.theconstructionindex.co.uk/news/view/hinkley-points-nuclear-option https://www.theconstructionindex.co.uk/news/view/hinkley-poi...

reverendbedford 4y ago
Sodium reactor outlet temperatures are around 550 C. There are other reactor concepts that come close to 1000 C, but it's a huge technical challenge.
- drjasonharrison 4y ago
  Electric heating?
  - reverendbedford 4y ago
    That works for some processes (making aluminum and more recently steel) but I'm not aware of any electrically heated processes for making concrete. Cheap, clean electricity could unlock a lot of things though.
    - nine_k 4y ago
      Heating by electricity is not a problem. But both production and setting of concrete chemically produce CO2.
      - bbojan 4y ago
        Hydraulic cement does not produce CO2 during setting. Non-hydraulic cement actually consumes CO2 while setting.
        wiml 4y ago
        Doesn't it essentially just re-absorb the same co2 it emitted when it was made?
        bbojan 4y ago
        Yes. I was replying to parent's comment that concrete produces CO2 when setting, which is clearly not the case for hydraulic cement.
    - HPsquared 4y ago
      Probably, like for steel production, it would involve producing hydrogen then using that as a heat source.
    - tetrep 4y ago
      I read an article about this recently and there's at least one company working on exactly such a process: > Swedish green-tech firm SaltX Technology demonstrated that it can produce clinker with its Electric Arc Calciner: a proprietary system similar to the plasma torches widely used by automakers and other manufacturers for cutting metal. Plasma torches pass an electric current through a jet of inert gas, typically nitrogen or argon, which ionizes the gas and heats it to temperatures over 20,000 degrees Celsius. In June, SaltX announced a partnership with the Swedish limestone supplier SMA Mineral to accelerate commercialization of its technology. Article: https://arstechnica.com/science/2022/11/the-road-to-low-carbon-concrete/ https://arstechnica.com/science/2022/11/the-road-to-low-carb...
aaronbrethorst 4y ago
Science writer David Roberts had a long conversation with Rebecca Dell from ClimateWorks about decarbonizing heavy industry back in February. Lots more detail here if that’s of interest to you: https://www.volts.wtf/p/volts-podcast-rebecca-dell-on-decarbonizing#details https://www.volts.wtf/p/volts-podcast-rebecca-dell-on-decarb... (n.b. copy and paste of my comment from 24 days ago: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33396422 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33396422)

reverendbedford 4y ago

Sodium reactor outlet temperatures are around 550 C. There are other reactor concepts that come close to 1000 C, but it's a huge technical challenge.

drjasonharrison 4y ago
Electric heating?
- reverendbedford 4y ago
  That works for some processes (making aluminum and more recently steel) but I'm not aware of any electrically heated processes for making concrete. Cheap, clean electricity could unlock a lot of things though.
  - nine_k 4y ago
    Heating by electricity is not a problem. But both production and setting of concrete chemically produce CO2.
    - bbojan 4y ago
      Hydraulic cement does not produce CO2 during setting. Non-hydraulic cement actually consumes CO2 while setting.
      - wiml 4y ago
        Doesn't it essentially just re-absorb the same co2 it emitted when it was made?
        bbojan 4y ago
        Yes. I was replying to parent's comment that concrete produces CO2 when setting, which is clearly not the case for hydraulic cement.
  - HPsquared 4y ago
    Probably, like for steel production, it would involve producing hydrogen then using that as a heat source.
  - tetrep 4y ago
    I read an article about this recently and there's at least one company working on exactly such a process: > Swedish green-tech firm SaltX Technology demonstrated that it can produce clinker with its Electric Arc Calciner: a proprietary system similar to the plasma torches widely used by automakers and other manufacturers for cutting metal. Plasma torches pass an electric current through a jet of inert gas, typically nitrogen or argon, which ionizes the gas and heats it to temperatures over 20,000 degrees Celsius. In June, SaltX announced a partnership with the Swedish limestone supplier SMA Mineral to accelerate commercialization of its technology. Article: https://arstechnica.com/science/2022/11/the-road-to-low-carbon-concrete/ https://arstechnica.com/science/2022/11/the-road-to-low-carb...

aaronbrethorst 4y ago

Science writer David Roberts had a long conversation with Rebecca Dell from ClimateWorks about decarbonizing heavy industry back in February. Lots more detail here if that’s of interest to you: https://www.volts.wtf/p/volts-podcast-rebecca-dell-on-decarbonizing#details https://www.volts.wtf/p/volts-podcast-rebecca-dell-on-decarb... (n.b. copy and paste of my comment from 24 days ago: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33396422 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33396422)