The Problem With Concrete

Sdílet
Vložit
  • čas přidán 28. 02. 2019
  • This video is in partnership with Bill and Melinda Gates. You can check out the Gates Annual Letter here: b-gat.es/2GxIwba
    Concrete is responsible for 8% of humanity’s carbon emissions because making its key ingredient - cement - chemically releases CO2, and because we burn fossil fuels to make it happen.
    Thanks to our Patreon patrons / minuteearth and our CZcams members.
    ___________________________________________
    To learn more, start your googling with these keywords:
    Portland cement - the most common type of cement used worldwide, made with limestone
    Limestone - a hard sedimentary rock, composed mainly of calcium carbonate (which is also in shells & eggs)
    Cement - a powder used in construction that’s made by grinding clinker with other minerals and mixing with water to form a paste that sticks to sand, gravel or crushed stone to make concrete
    Concrete - a building material made by mixing cement with water to form a paste that gains body through fillers like sand and gravel
    Clinker - an intermediate marble-sized product in cement production created by sintering limestone with clay and other things
    Sinter - to turn a powdery solid into a single mass by heating it without liquefaction
    Mortar - another building material (used to adhere bricks or stones together) made by mixing cement with water and sand
    Calcination - the process of heating a substance to a high temperature, but below its melting point, so it thermally decomposes (like limestone into lime & CO2)
    Process emissions - the name for the CO2 that comes from limestone when it thermally decomposes
    ___________________________________________
    Subscribe to MinuteEarth on CZcams: goo.gl/EpIDGd
    Support us on Patreon: goo.gl/ZVgLQZ
    And visit our website: www.minuteearth.com/
    Say hello on Facebook: goo.gl/FpAvo6
    And Twitter: goo.gl/Y1aWVC
    And download our videos on itunes: goo.gl/sfwS6n
    ___________________________________________
    Credits (and Twitter handles):
    Script Writer & Narrator: Alex Reich (@alexhreich)
    Video Illustrator: Adam Thompson
    Video Director: David Goldenberg (@dgoldenberg)
    With Contributions From: Henry Reich, Kate Yoshida, Ever Salazar, Peter Reich, Arcadi Garcia Rius
    Music by: Nathaniel Schroeder: / drschroeder
    ___________________________________________
    References:
    Andrew, R. M. 2018. Global CO2 emissions from cement production. Earth System Science Data, 10(1), 195. www.earth-syst-sci-data.net/1...
    Benhelal, E., et al. 2013. Global strategies and potentials to curb CO2 emissions in cement industry. Journal of cleaner production, 51, 142-161. www.academia.edu/download/3997...
    Beyond Zero Emissions. August 2017. Zero Carbon Industry Plan: Rethinking Cement. Available for download at bze.org.au
    Davis, S.J., et al. 2018. Net-zero emissions energy systems. Science, 360(6396), eaas9793. cloudfront.escholarship.org/d...
    Lehne, J., & Preston., F. June 2018. Making Concrete Change: Innovation in Low-carbon Cement and Concrete. Chatham House Report. bit.ly/2Vlb3oC
    Timperley, J. September 13 2018. Q&A: Why cement emissions matter for climate change. www.carbonbrief.org/qa-why-ce...
    World Bank. 2019. World Development Indicators: Urban population. data.worldbank.org/indicator/...
  • Věda a technologie

Komentáře • 1,4K

  • @HobbesHobbiton
    @HobbesHobbiton Před 5 lety +1671

    What went into making this video:
    10% animating, writing the script, research, etc.
    90% Making sure the pun at the end would work.

    • @chitranshjawere4953
      @chitranshjawere4953 Před 5 lety +17

      Best comment that I read today. 😂

    • @Rudofaux
      @Rudofaux Před 5 lety +5

      "10% research"

    • @weezards1014
      @weezards1014 Před 5 lety +5

      Also the thumbnail is just a JoJo reference

    • @joelmiller2601
      @joelmiller2601 Před 5 lety +1

      Rudofaux yep

    • @illbeyourmonster1959
      @illbeyourmonster1959 Před 5 lety +3

      I have yet to ever see a video on this channel that even came close to having used even 10% reality based research in what it claimed.
      I say 95% false feel goods and 5% facts to make the false feel goods seem real to everyone who is clueless to point of being dangerous hinderance to themselves and everyone around them trying to actually do real good for this world.

  • @TheScienceBiome
    @TheScienceBiome Před 5 lety +1433

    I like how MinuteEarth and MinutePhysics switched animation styles for a video...

    • @juliemittel3931
      @juliemittel3931 Před 5 lety +7

      What do you mean?

    • @smallkid444
      @smallkid444 Před 5 lety +50

      @@juliemittel3931 Drawings are on paper like the usual MP style compared to the normal digital drawing style of ME. :)

    • @juliemittel3931
      @juliemittel3931 Před 5 lety +5

      @@smallkid444, well, i am also working in a 3d animation of the Automation cars consider made (i am talking about the season1 and s.2 cars and you can also expect a link to his channel)

    • @Lemmingcave
      @Lemmingcave Před 5 lety +12

      @@smallkid444 you know, i never noticed that

    • @TheRMeerkerk
      @TheRMeerkerk Před 5 lety +11

      When I read your comment, I thought you were making a joke, because I thought they used the exact same style of animation. But then I looked more closely and noticed the hand appearing in this video and missing from the ISP video. I also checked another video from both channels and saw that it normally is the other way around.

  • @CarLos-by5xl
    @CarLos-by5xl Před 5 lety +319

    Why can't we convert some of that Limestone into lime juice that would benefit us all

    • @donutsndcoffee
      @donutsndcoffee Před 5 lety +8

      This deserves to be pinned to the top.

    • @Umenemo
      @Umenemo Před 5 lety +14

      But who would even want this much lime juice? Not a very good vitamin C source and just stinking sour! Why couldn't it be Orangestone or Applestone? :D

    • @AmyraCarter
      @AmyraCarter Před 5 lety +2

      ...
      A straight conversion to liquid would be toxic. On the line of liquid silver, even.

    • @donutsndcoffee
      @donutsndcoffee Před 5 lety +7

      @@AmyraCarter nah, run that lime juice business

    • @rohengiralt
      @rohengiralt Před 5 lety +15

      Nooo then we’re all gonna get lime disease!

  • @MediumDSpeaks
    @MediumDSpeaks Před 5 lety +1026

    Dont you hate it when concrete starts punching the planet in the face?

  • @GeorgTheGr8
    @GeorgTheGr8 Před 5 lety +1083

    Wow, the points this video attempts to convey are pretty *_solid_*

  • @IGoWumbo
    @IGoWumbo Před 5 lety +15

    I’m a recent Civil Engineering grad that did research on concrete (our university has one of the largest pavement research centers in the country). My team looked at ground glass as a cement replacement, and we found that you can achievement a 40% CO2/unit weight with just a 20% replacement of cement

  • @vexari_
    @vexari_ Před 5 lety +248

    The problem with concrete is that it's hard when you land on it

    • @brianlam257
      @brianlam257 Před 5 lety +15

      And it's soft when you don't land on it

    • @Teeeth
      @Teeeth Před 5 lety

      @@brianlam257 It's never soft

    • @Teeeth
      @Teeeth Před 5 lety

      @Deep Kumar B S Well then you'd have to be pretty good with scrapes and pain

    • @weijianlim4431
      @weijianlim4431 Před 5 lety +1

      Ooooo... That someone leg hurt

    • @kishananuraag
      @kishananuraag Před 3 lety +1

      It got hard when you land on it

  • @dongurudebro4579
    @dongurudebro4579 Před 5 lety +209

    Well and then there is still the sand problem...^^ :/

    • @guillo8189
      @guillo8189 Před 5 lety

      Yeah I was about to comment that as well.

    • @determineddaaf3
      @determineddaaf3 Před 5 lety +4

      I've heard about that, but I forgot what it was about.

    • @lutyanoalves444
      @lutyanoalves444 Před 5 lety +1

      @@determineddaaf3
      gg

    • @BombaJead
      @BombaJead Před 5 lety +5

      What's the problem with sand exactly?

    • @rileyli6174
      @rileyli6174 Před 5 lety +36

      @@BombaJead It's becoming harder and harder to find construction grade sand nowadays. The world is "running out" of sand at the moment

  • @Fredjikrang
    @Fredjikrang Před 5 lety +156

    You seem to have left out some important information. Concrete absorbs CO2. How much it absorbs is still being studied, but the research I have seen indicates that it likely absorbs about 80% of the CO2 that is released during it's production, so while it isn't carbon neutral its impact is likely overstated in this video.

    • @luongmaihunggia
      @luongmaihunggia Před 5 lety +5

      How does it do that?

    • @rrteppo
      @rrteppo Před 5 lety +24

      On top of that CO2 is one of the least impactful green house gasses. The chemicals we should be looking into are industrial refrigerants. They tend to contain mostly Florine, Chlorine, and/or Bromide. They are some of the most reactive elements, and absorb the most energy (why they are used as refrigerants). Then on top of that these gasses tend to be rather heavy so they live in the lower atmosphere.

    • @sarkozygaming3629
      @sarkozygaming3629 Před 5 lety

      @@luongmaihunggia Ever used lime water ?

    • @luongmaihunggia
      @luongmaihunggia Před 5 lety +3

      @@sarkozygaming3629 care to further explain?

    • @luongmaihunggia
      @luongmaihunggia Před 5 lety +26

      @@rrteppo Wrong, CO2 is the most impactful not because it's absorb the most energy per molecule but because it largely outnumber every other green house gases. It out numbered methane 4.75 to 1, it out number nitrous oxide 12.666 to 1. www.epa.gov/ghgemissions/global-greenhouse-gas-emissions-data
      And sure you can argue that water vapour has the most impact en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greenhouse_gas but water vapour wouldn't impact this much if it wasn't for carbon dioxide as expalined by this video which also happens to explain this entire topic as a whole: czcams.com/video/x92v8Q2w_J4/video.html

  • @General_Ace
    @General_Ace Před 5 lety +51

    I thought this video would talk about how the world is apparently running out of sand.

    • @kingcrimson293
      @kingcrimson293 Před 5 lety +5

      Yeah we are running out of sand and no we cant use desert sand

    • @amirabudubai2279
      @amirabudubai2279 Před 5 lety +15

      We aren't running out of sand, we are running out of *local* sand. Cities need a lot of river sand in one place and they tend to need more than their local rivers can produce(sand is constantly produced). This causes problems in that rivers next to cities are often scrapped of sand(killing in ecosystem that survived the pollution) and they are having to transport sand from other places(extremely expensive in both money and CO2).
      It really isn't a matter of running out as much as it is a matter of cheap sources. You can put desert sand in a rock tumbler for a couple weeks then use that, but that won't be cheap.

    • @kingcrimson293
      @kingcrimson293 Před 5 lety +1

      @@amirabudubai2279 yeah but even if we go out of our way to find sand that will run out too because sand is not a renewable source

    • @classarank7youtubeherokeyb63
      @classarank7youtubeherokeyb63 Před 5 lety

      @@kingcrimson293 But how long is that going to take and how much can we make with it? I don't want to be pedantic, but I imagine sand is only non-renewable in the same sense that iron or solar power is.

    • @kingcrimson293
      @kingcrimson293 Před 5 lety

      @@classarank7youtubeherokeyb63 I really dont know but considering how much sand we use in a year it wont be enough and I guess we will have to find a way to use desert sand or just drop sand all together

  • @dennisprune10
    @dennisprune10 Před 5 lety +94

    don´t take concrete for granite

  • @InspectHistory
    @InspectHistory Před 5 lety +153

    Yeah another MinuteEarth video :)

  • @tisstuart
    @tisstuart Před 5 lety +116

    Meanwhile somewhere is a tree wondering where all that fresh c02 is coming from.

    • @G5rry
      @G5rry Před 5 lety +11

      And when that tree dies, it will release it all back again.

    • @eldorado3523
      @eldorado3523 Před 5 lety +11

      Except you know, as more trees are cut down, there's less trees wondering about that?

    • @TallicaMan1986
      @TallicaMan1986 Před 5 lety +2

      G5rry Trees use CO2 immediately the same way we use H2O immediately.

    • @amirabudubai2279
      @amirabudubai2279 Před 5 lety +10

      @@TallicaMan1986 and G5rry
      Not quite. Plants do take in more CO2 than they release. They build their bodies out of carbon from the air, and some of that carbon will end up getting trapped in dead bio-matter that doesn't fully decompose. Some ecosystems trap carbon better than others. Swamps and oceans are pretty good at this.

    • @NeverSuspects
      @NeverSuspects Před 5 lety +2

      So more total available co2 means more total currently living possible plant life?

  • @andreikovacs3476
    @andreikovacs3476 Před 5 lety +28

    They should have mentioned that the cement's solidification CONSUMES CO2.
    CaCO3--->CaO+CO2
    CaO+H2O--->Ca(OH)2
    Ca(OH)2+CO2--->CaCO3 + H2O

    • @vhatuma
      @vhatuma Před 3 lety +2

      I wonder why this comment does not have more likes...
      I started reading comments just to find our where this info will be.
      I must assume the answer (why they did not mention) is political...

    • @giorgiobarchiesi5003
      @giorgiobarchiesi5003 Před 3 měsíci +1

      @andreikovacs3476 I was about to say the same thing. And this point get unmentioned in all other videos I have seen on the same subject.

  • @AA-yi5rk
    @AA-yi5rk Před 5 lety +14

    hopefully, this will *cure* our cement dependency

  • @MegaMohammad89
    @MegaMohammad89 Před 5 lety +30

    You forget to mention one very important detail which is that cement reabsorbs the carbon dioxide emitted in the production of burnt lime when it solidifies into concrete in the reaction:
    CaO + CO2 -> CaCO3

    • @tanaychoure1
      @tanaychoure1 Před 3 lety

      I was trying to find this comment

    • @Zandoraful
      @Zandoraful Před 2 lety +6

      But not very quickly and not in great amounts.

    • @alexwang982
      @alexwang982 Před rokem +3

      @@Zandoraful It reabsorbs the same amount it loses though?

    • @yan7911
      @yan7911 Před 4 měsíci +1

      Thats primitive concrete, modern concrete reacts with water and not CO2, there's a video about it on the channel Veritasium if you're interested

  • @bobisnotaperson
    @bobisnotaperson Před 5 lety +8

    Just use sand, gravel, and some dyes made from flowers. That's how Minecraft works.

  • @MichaelSHartman
    @MichaelSHartman Před 5 lety +28

    Would you please do a report on the excess carbon footprint (energy usage) and garbage/pollution (material) content of planned obsolescence. Thank you.

    • @SpeedyHungarian
      @SpeedyHungarian Před 5 lety +1

      They can't because that doesn't exist.

    • @SpeedyHungarian
      @SpeedyHungarian Před 5 lety +2

      @Colin MacRae They are not designed to fail, they're designed to not last longer than necessary. If every company designed their products to last as long as possible, the moment a new company makes a product with half the lifetime bud cheaper, everybody starts buying the cheaper. It's the poeple, not the mean companies.

    • @dbojangles1597
      @dbojangles1597 Před 5 lety +8

      @@SpeedyHungarian It's both really. Companies actually engage in this as part of long term strategy in some cases. Capitalism isn't a perfect system by any means.

    • @BombaJead
      @BombaJead Před 5 lety +5

      @Colin MacRae Perceived obsolescence is the name of the game nowadays, products still work fine but the improvements and peer presure make people want to buy the latest. I don't like it but that's the way it goes currently.

    • @ObjectsInMotion
      @ObjectsInMotion Před 5 lety +1

      Planned obsolescence makes the world a better place. It’s economically the most efficient and rational system and that benefits everybody. Why get rid of it, just because it ‘seems’ wrong?

  • @fiftyfat
    @fiftyfat Před 5 lety +5

    Hey I was wondering, after being casted, concrete re-absord Co2 in a process called carbonatation, it's very slow and damaging to the oxydation protection of the rebar.
    Does your estimation of the quantity of CO2 emited take that effect into account ?

  • @TheScienceBiome
    @TheScienceBiome Před 5 lety +209

    This video is quite *concrete* , I would say.

  • @WSmith1984
    @WSmith1984 Před 5 lety +21

    Another thing to consider is better industrial filters to capture the CO2 released in the process. The more CO2 that can be captured during manufacture, the more that can be stored via carbon capture and storage.

    • @midnightgear2616
      @midnightgear2616 Před 3 lety +2

      Sure that's one method, but that doesn't address the underlying issue. It should be implemented to buy time, but it's not a solution.

    • @whiteeye9584
      @whiteeye9584 Před 3 lety +1

      @@midnightgear2616 there is no solutiom as long as population rise

    • @trs4184
      @trs4184 Před 2 lety

      @@whiteeye9584 Just in case you're curious, here's a video on why the Malthusian fear of overpopulation isn't real: czcams.com/video/QsBT5EQt348/video.html
      TL;DR: population boom is a temporary mismatch of infant mortality and the number of children born to one person.

  • @93bartoszmach
    @93bartoszmach Před 5 lety +13

    I've made my Master Thesis based on that problem: Capturing CO2 from rotary kilns and utilization of waste heat from flue gases in ORC systems :)

    • @eduardoguevara8014
      @eduardoguevara8014 Před 5 lety +1

      93bartoszmach Where can I find your research? It would be interesting to take a look at it!

    • @93bartoszmach
      @93bartoszmach Před 5 lety +2

      @@eduardoguevara8014 Unfortunately it's not available in english language... I will consider to translate it one day though and post it here :)

    • @dontbother2071
      @dontbother2071 Před 5 lety +1

      @@93bartoszmach please post you're research later on. I'm really interested in this subject. :)

  • @angelsonlinehavoc
    @angelsonlinehavoc Před 5 lety +13

    Does anyone know the mechanical properties of the materials shown as an alternative?

    • @fullup91
      @fullup91 Před 5 lety +6

      Yes. They're marvellous. Take Silica Fume for example. It is an industrial waste product. Each particle is 100 times smaller than a cement particle. This fine pozzolan will decrease the porosity of concrete. Adding massively to it's water resistance, abrasion resistance and tensile, compressive and impact strengths.
      It can be used to replace cement, with strength gains peaking at around 15% by weight. This reduces the amount of portland cement used. It can also protect steel reinforcements from degradation due to attack from chloride ions. It also eliminates water bleeding in the wet mix, which makes finishing flatwork a breeze.
      Although, it significantly reduces the workability of wet concrete. This is why it's usefulness only became possible once water reducing admixtures were discovered.
      These admixtures will transform a stiff, unworkable concrete mix, with a water/cement ratio as low as .25, into a flowable, pourable, even self-consolidating mix.

    • @hebl47
      @hebl47 Před 5 lety +2

      @@fullup91 that's quite interesting. What about their thermal expansion coefficients? One of the reasons concrete works so well with steel is a lucky coincidene that they have nearly identical coefficients, which means they expand and shrink equally with temperature.

    • @fullup91
      @fullup91 Před 5 lety +5

      @@hebl47 Interesting question. I'm no expert but..
      Silica fume does increase the CLE (coefficient of linear expansion) of concrete, significantly, the more is added.
      To decrease the CLE, admixtures for air entrainment can be used to trap air within the wet concrete while mixing.
      Around 3% of air is useful for decreased CLE but adding over 6% air will start to rebound this effect.
      It's highly complex stuff. So many variables. I'm a humble concrete countertop maker... but I do try to study the science in some depth.

    • @hungtu2433
      @hungtu2433 Před 5 lety +2

      Well I think slag and fly ash are the same. They just hydrate with different constituents. For both the mentioned supplementary materials, they require the byproduct from the cement hydration reaction to be released. As such, if you forget the portland cement part in your concrete mix, you can dig out your concrete the next day. I haven't checked out the latest admixtures availiable but I think you can replace up to around 40% of cement with slag and fly ash. However your early age strengths and material properties will be different. Fascinating stuff but it puts my gf to sleep.

    • @manictiger
      @manictiger Před 5 lety +2

      Just to add, polymer technology is being used to make stronger, more seismic-resistant concrete, as well. Not sure if it's any better for global warming than limestone, but it's a whole new world of molecular complexity added to concrete.
      Low-grade rebar (which ruins the concrete in just a few decades) is still used for cheap concrete, but the good stuff with polymers doesn't even need rebar. There's a new concept called "microfracturing". Instead of trying to prevent fractures, concrete with microfracturing in mind, "bends" under tensile pressure, instead of breaking.

  • @fullup91
    @fullup91 Před 5 lety +3

    When life hands you lime... make concreteade.

  • @higorguedes4413
    @higorguedes4413 Před 5 lety +5

    Just hold your poop for 5 days and there you go, homemade cement

  • @hahatdog2546
    @hahatdog2546 Před 5 lety +5

    Considering going to the moon?
    It's a giant cement.

  • @OutlawMaxV
    @OutlawMaxV Před 5 lety

    That pun at the end killed it...

  • @elietheprof5678
    @elietheprof5678 Před 5 lety +2

    A city might be a concrete jungle, but it actually uses a lot less concrete (per person) than suburbs. Long roads & highways are mostly what use so much concrete - and suburbs need a lot of those.

    • @brygantor4296
      @brygantor4296 Před 5 lety

      Elie Elie Concrete is used in cement only not in the asphalt and road base used to construct roads. Those materials also typically use 15% to 40% recycled material.

    • @noobynoob138
      @noobynoob138 Před 20 dny

      Specifically US style sub-urbs use a lot of concrete. Sub-urbs here in Finland use significantly less concrete, which makes temperatures lower during summer, and keeps nearby nature more beautiful :)

  • @tommeng6522
    @tommeng6522 Před 5 lety +5

    Concrete is very souring to our world, since it is made out of lime

  • @abdulhaseeb8907
    @abdulhaseeb8907 Před 5 lety +22

    Woh back to the old marker and crayons and stuf

  • @thiagohenriquesilva5611
    @thiagohenriquesilva5611 Před 5 lety +2

    It is really nice to see the technology of alkali-activated materials and geopolymers being discussed by the Gates' institution and by a channel with over 2M subscribers. I am one of the many young researches looking into processes to make better/smarter use of concrete technologies, and I congratulate you on spreading awareness.

  • @davetoms1
    @davetoms1 Před 5 lety

    You earned the Thumbs Up for that pun at 2:32

  • @christiandevey3898
    @christiandevey3898 Před 5 lety +3

    This was an interesting topic but I would have preferred if you gave some examples on the alternatives or went a bit more in-depth on the different process.
    This video felt like, “here is this thing, this is the problem with the thing, there are potential solutions to the problem but we won’t tell you them”

  • @connorconnor2421
    @connorconnor2421 Před 5 lety +51

    The problem is *set in stone.*

  • @notsaying9794
    @notsaying9794 Před 5 lety

    The puns and jokes here are golden.

  • @harikishore2514
    @harikishore2514 Před 5 lety +2

    The more accurate title for this video is "Problem With Making Cement"

  • @JustinY.
    @JustinY. Před 5 lety +174

    You also can't eat it

  • @santoast24
    @santoast24 Před 5 lety +12

    Cement > asphalt
    lets make that set in stone

  • @bbgun061
    @bbgun061 Před 5 lety +2

    A new New York City per month? That sounds hyperbolic.

  • @charlotteice5704
    @charlotteice5704 Před 5 lety

    Thanks for raising awareness for this issue, I really wasn't aware of it.

  • @bcassalino
    @bcassalino Před 5 lety +3

    TL;DW
    Concrete is bad because it emits too much CO2. Nuff said.

  • @G-B-F123
    @G-B-F123 Před 5 lety +11

    Gotta hand it to you, you did provide some concrete solid evidence... 😤

  • @casimirojulianangelo4804

    congrats to gating a sponsorship with the Gates foundation.

  • @qwertyuiopaaaaaaa7
    @qwertyuiopaaaaaaa7 Před 5 lety

    I've worked in a waste incinerator in the Netherlands specifically doing this very thing! Turning garbage into cement. It uses the energy of combustion to heat homes that the recycled cement builds, and the other recycled aggregates are used to build roads that go to those homes.

  • @bluebelluwu
    @bluebelluwu Před 5 lety +7

    The dislikes are the concrete manufacturers

  • @wolvenar
    @wolvenar Před 5 lety +12

    But do you take into account the long term use of cement vs other building products. Another point is, In many uses there is absolutely NOTHING else that will replace concrete. In a vast majority of these uses it enables processes that cannot be done any other way nearly as efficient. So when the application creates the conditions that everything it enables becomes more efficient, it's no where near the evil you and the Gates (and others) describe. Concrete is just the latest in a huge line of things people want to blame for something or another. The problem is humans and the fact that there are to many of us. *WE* are becoming an uncontrolled plaque consuming without end. Our economics rely on a throwaway economy. As hard as it will be we need to address the growing population, and our unsustainable economy. One of these ways will be to build high efficiency, very long lasting low maintenance dwellings so as to not continually use resources doing so creating new wastes from removal of the cheap failing structures. Concrete is ideal for this effort given it ticks all those boxes of long lasting and low maintenance. No, I don't work in the concrete field, I'm just sick of all the distortion and blame shifting.

    • @dbojangles1597
      @dbojangles1597 Před 5 lety +2

      The people are seriously dumbed down and this simplistic climate change narrative is what is being spoon fed to them. What do you expect? And for those who do understand and who control the flow of information this is a convenient narrative to push in order to distract from the real serious problems.

    • @zhisoffrenick
      @zhisoffrenick Před 5 lety +4

      Good points. Regarding overpopulation: I remember hearing someone making bold statement, that one very efficient ($ spent per effect) way of combating climate change is just spreading knowledge about BIRTH CONTROL in developing countries. I used to word myself similarly to you, and learned that plainly pointing to any sane and empathetic person that "there are too many of us" is just asking for being dismissed as cruel extremist or such and risking igniting shitstorm-argument. Environmental communication is a field worth exploring. World needs people like you in spreading knowledge, understanding bigger picture and interconnection. Keep it up and develop your skills!

    • @Icalasari
      @Icalasari Před 5 lety +3

      @@zhisoffrenick Kind of annoying when people dismiss it. It's like... We're not calling for a genocide. We're just calling for people to have less kids. But that apparently = going out, grabbing babies out of strollers, and swinging them by their necks because people are rabid about having babies

    • @zhisoffrenick
      @zhisoffrenick Před 5 lety +2

      @@IcalasariI know - some people interpret it as a call for genocide anyway. That's why I believe it's just easier to avoid that line of rethoric, rarther than elaborate on it after receiver's first impression sets in. I am referring to places where vast majority of world's population growth happens - where strollers are a luxury. Places where people are more rabid about having sex than what it may lead to and have no clue about family planning or birth control. For them kids just pop out every now and then and it's a tragedy for all. Life in poverty.

  • @rmb9311
    @rmb9311 Před 5 lety

    Great work, much more genuine and believable Illustrations

  • @itzfrenchie9752
    @itzfrenchie9752 Před 5 lety +1

    “Did you actually Collab with Bill Gates” Thuy Bui 2018

  • @patrick.gilmore
    @patrick.gilmore Před 5 lety +11

    I have never been first before....

  • @pingwenhung8327
    @pingwenhung8327 Před 5 lety +11

    I hate to say but you didn't cover the part where it "needed sand"
    Sand = you'll have to steal it from beaches = you'll see people steal sand just to sell it to making Concrete
    and that is the part where i'm disappointed at this video , Co2 this Co2 that , pretty much Mankind have been doing this for ages....
    This video title should be "The Co2 Problem within Concrete" instead.

    • @blahbleh5671
      @blahbleh5671 Před 5 lety

      well I don't want to get rabies now do I!

    • @dontbother2071
      @dontbother2071 Před 5 lety +10

      River sand is used for construction not sea sand because it contains salt which can corrode steel bars.

    • @nicholaslau3194
      @nicholaslau3194 Před 5 lety +2

      @@luongmaihunggia It is not we are running out of sand. There is plenty of it in the deserts. We are just running out of "good" sand. The sand you find in the desert is too fine to be of good use. In fact due to its fineness it behaves more like a liquid than sand. Concrete gets its strength by having stones and sand of random sizes held together by cement, which gives it rigidity. The sand can only be useful for building purposes if it is of the right size and that is running out.

    • @luongmaihunggia
      @luongmaihunggia Před 5 lety

      @@nicholaslau3194 it made of the same thing, silicon dioxide. Why would things made of the same things be different?

    • @pingwenhung8327
      @pingwenhung8327 Před 5 lety

      Well sadly for you guys , People do steal sand from Beaches , places which doesn't have a desert steal beach sand and sell it on the black market for cheap prices.
      if you think this world is full of good people , think again.

  • @Falney
    @Falney Před 5 lety +1

    Also need to take into account that the sand needed for cement is well... Running out.

  • @ametsunami4070
    @ametsunami4070 Před 3 lety +2

    Did you know that adding one pound of sugar to one ton of concrete ruins it?

  • @TheZexodius
    @TheZexodius Před 5 lety +3

    I guess this is a hard problem for the earth

  • @michellegiacalone1079
    @michellegiacalone1079 Před 5 lety

    Love it. Now do a follow up video on why we need to be using hemp-crete.

  • @satyarthasaxena4582
    @satyarthasaxena4582 Před 5 lety +1

    My final year bachelor's project was on replacing cement completely. This was exactly why i took up this topic, to find alternative to cement, so that co2 can be reduced.

  • @alibagmi
    @alibagmi Před 5 lety

    Easy way to better explain science to non native students. Your videos are excellent and helped me to boost my score In TOEFL exam. Thank you MinuteEarth!

  • @benjaminolsson2162
    @benjaminolsson2162 Před 5 lety +1

    I did not know this... I have been working in sketchup to try and develop a building system that is based on repeating concrete parts. I was thinking of using twisted micro reebar in combination with pre-tensioned steel cables as reinforcement. These would mainly be used for normal housing and, hopefully, use very little concrete. And I thought concrete would be more eco friendly than wood, since you could just pick a house apart and use the pieces again instead of demolishing them completely when you want to build something new. For insulation I was thinking that rock wool would be both effective and safe.
    But I have been working on a similar system based on wood for its structural integrity, since production would be way easier to begin that way. Composites would be the dream, but that is very expensive and I don't know if epoxy is even worse for the environment. And I would not want something that people live in to give off fumes that are unhealthy. So I have not even started thinking about how I would make those.
    Great video nonetheless. I apparently still got some planning and research to do.

  • @Earthstoriesbydev
    @Earthstoriesbydev Před 3 lety

    amazing how much is explained in such a short time!

  • @WOUBZY
    @WOUBZY Před 5 lety +1

    2:18 I can't believe that material is called *slag* xD

    • @RavenholmZombie
      @RavenholmZombie Před 5 lety

      It's hot to the touch and sets fire to everything it comes in contact with. Just like my ex!

  • @mahmoudijbariya5625
    @mahmoudijbariya5625 Před 5 lety

    Should have expanded more on the alternative solutions. I would love to know what they are.

  • @stephenbenner4353
    @stephenbenner4353 Před 5 lety

    A lot of cement plants are changing to kilns that burn garbage with some natural gas, though the one I work at most has a pad poured for the garbage burning modification, but it hasn’t moved forward in the the past few years and since then it has changed hands, so it is uncertain whether the new owners will continue this change or continue burning coal.

  • @jgenert
    @jgenert Před 5 lety

    Could you show the chemical process, i.e., the chemical breakdown equation, as well as some background?

  • @LeuxSeveN
    @LeuxSeveN Před 5 lety

    good point on the limestone, but dont forget the cryces with the specific Sand needed for Concrete. We will need to find a solution too that to and at that fairly quickly.

  • @jetkin4960
    @jetkin4960 Před 5 lety +1

    I wonder if the damages of urban sprawl is worse than efficient city building?

  • @DiscoverWithDima
    @DiscoverWithDima Před 5 lety +1

    One major issue with this video is that it doesn't at all mention Hempcrete as an environmentally-sustainable alternative to using limestone in the making of concrete.
    "Hempcrete is a 'carbon-negative' material as more carbon is taken out of the atmosphere by the growth of the hemp plant than is emitted as a result of its production and application."

    • @mako1181
      @mako1181 Před 5 lety +1

      Hempcrete is great, but it is not a structural material. It can not replace load bearing structures, such as foundations, bridges, etc. which makes up the greater part of our concrete usage. It is however great for non-load bearing walls or whatever else you can think of.

  • @brandonlink6568
    @brandonlink6568 Před 5 lety

    Neat, I never knew they used cement alternatives when rebuilding the 35W bridge, hopefully this one will last a little longer.

  • @thedairylord7861
    @thedairylord7861 Před 4 lety

    Minute earth:shows wood for alternate resource for concrete
    Fires:yay, more food for me

    • @beepbop6542
      @beepbop6542 Před 3 lety

      Orangutans: yay less place for me to live! CO2: yay more ways to emit myself and be further emitted during fires than concrete could ever dream of doing!

  • @friendcomputer5276
    @friendcomputer5276 Před 4 lety +1

    Cement also absorbs a lot of CO2 when it dries.

  • @vitalino1981
    @vitalino1981 Před 5 lety

    Plastic: hold my beer..

  • @NTclaymore
    @NTclaymore Před 5 lety

    What about plaststeel and ceramite?

  • @koreahotstocks9351
    @koreahotstocks9351 Před 5 lety +1

    These days I watch videos about environment, makes me think a lot. Thank you for the video!

    • @flaretest8180
      @flaretest8180 Před 5 lety

      However co2 isn't a problem, so videos like this really don't help

  • @feynstein1004
    @feynstein1004 Před 5 lety +2

    Hmm but doesn't concrete absorb CO2 as it ages? Or was it oxygen? I can't remember 🤔

  • @KoldTDB
    @KoldTDB Před 3 lety

    I got an ad for 'can you imagine the world without concrete'

  • @lamichael8659
    @lamichael8659 Před 5 lety

    The *concrete* walls of my house are very unstable, and can collapse any second.
    I love puns :D

  • @scooterking136
    @scooterking136 Před 5 lety

    @minuteearth do you mind if I use the statue of liberty drawing at 1:45 as a part of a personal art project

  • @980PizzaLover089
    @980PizzaLover089 Před 5 lety

    Your colored pencils are amazing and I would love to know which brand is it.

  • @lukemalm9190
    @lukemalm9190 Před 5 lety

    Oversimplified the bit about the pozzolans but I appreciate and was surprised by the total share of CO2 generation from breaking down limestone.

  • @jholotanbest2688
    @jholotanbest2688 Před 5 lety +1

    I actually learned something new and interesting. Feels good :)

  • @miraalburney7902
    @miraalburney7902 Před 5 lety

    Can you make a video about lefties vs righties? I love your videos and I’ve watched almost all of them!!

  • @vuldrae1638
    @vuldrae1638 Před 5 lety +1

    you forget to mention that we are also running out of the specific kind of sand that is needed for concrete

  • @zsmb25
    @zsmb25 Před 5 lety +1

    Can you explain the new process that Carbon Cure is using to trap CO2. How efficient is it? How does it offset the concrete CO2 emissions?

  • @elgracko
    @elgracko Před 5 lety

    What about the asphalt we pave our roads with?
    It's nonporous, which often leads to flooding.
    And every time we have to fix a fiberoptic cable or fuss with a sewer pipe, we have to tear a lot of it up and lay some down again.
    Seems wasteful.

  • @mrduckman225
    @mrduckman225 Před 5 lety

    I heard about concrete made out of hemp is that a viable option?

  • @TheTinkili
    @TheTinkili Před 5 lety

    Damn. I genuinely did not know that. Thanks for informing about this!

  • @partypickle1015
    @partypickle1015 Před 5 lety +2

    Good thing my house is made of asbestos. No carbon emissions here!

  • @Jamie-st6of
    @Jamie-st6of Před 5 lety +1

    if you cut emissions from concrete in half, you only get rid of 4%. the main issue comes from burning fuels for outdated power plants and redundant manufacturing (both driven by the profit motive)

  • @jacoblashley4018
    @jacoblashley4018 Před 5 lety +2

    Never seen video with only 1 like, comment and view before

  • @Izandaia
    @Izandaia Před 5 lety

    Best ending pun yet.

  • @Stipopedia
    @Stipopedia Před 5 lety +1

    Cement/Concrete does react with CO2 back to limestone over time, albeit very, very slowly. So, that CO2 is not out there forever.
    But, with the amount of stuff we are building right now, the Carbon Dioxide will have done the damage already when it's going back "into the ground".

  • @ABlackWoman
    @ABlackWoman Před 5 lety +1

    Yea but does the benifits of citys out way the coat of cement?

  • @TheLoneClaw
    @TheLoneClaw Před 5 lety

    Does Roman concrete have the same issues?

  • @antonio1681
    @antonio1681 Před 5 lety

    So from mixing it makes pollution or when it's just in the ground?

  • @geminijesus13
    @geminijesus13 Před 2 lety

    What the heck! I was looking for this video for hours for a project. Didn't find it. Now after a legit day after my project i find it. What the hell youtube algorithm!

  • @OkDinosaurs
    @OkDinosaurs Před 5 lety

    So surprised @ 2:22, I eat lunch in that building every day at uni

  • @sindhyamuzafar2715
    @sindhyamuzafar2715 Před 3 lety

    is it okay if i use this video and edit it for my business?

  • @ShawnRavenfire
    @ShawnRavenfire Před 5 lety

    I saw a Ted Talk a while back where they were talking about building skyscrapers out of wood. It sounds interesting, but I'm not about to risk spending time in one.

  • @shxkn
    @shxkn Před 5 lety +2

    Concrete has trash structural characteristics comparable to the chalk. It needs to be reinforced with steel. It's used universally because it's cheap, readily available, reliable and has been extensively tested for it's properties which building codes rely upon.
    It's not going anywhere.

    • @carultch
      @carultch Před 5 lety

      Concrete is great in compression, but it is relatively weak in tension and shear. That's why it needs to be reinforced with steel. That's also why it is great for foundations and columns that mostly support a downward compression load, but beams need to be strategically reinforced in the tensile portion.
      Most metals are symmetric in their tensile vs compressive performance, but to pour the equivalent of most foundations in molten steel, would be much more costly and have a much greater environmental impact.

  • @Nighthawk1000
    @Nighthawk1000 Před 4 lety

    By a new New York City do you mean the amount of cement in the current New York City or if everything was replaced in New York with cement?

  • @MegaBanne
    @MegaBanne Před 5 lety

    "That's more than airplanes, ships and long distance trucking put together"
    Or less than half that which is released due to the production and shipping of meat.

  • @CONCERTMANchicago
    @CONCERTMANchicago Před 5 lety

    Where Chicago's first poured curbs lasted over a hundred years, identified with their pinkish hue. Their replacements are being replaced on a 15-year basis.
    An anyone living on a corner has witnessed updated ADA requirements result in corner intersecting sidewalks replaced every five years within just past two decades.
    And the more frequent curb replacements assures nearby trees given valid reason for their shortened service life required removal.
    At the same time data shows how overtime even cement sequesters traffic output carbon similar to trees along roadways. And just like when trees get ground up into mulch, road cement getting ground down to be used as new aggregate for new cement also totally releases all it's built up carbon.