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New Studies of Ancient Concrete Could Teach Us to Do as the Romans Did

Berkeley Lab, UC Berkeley experiments show how natural chemistry strengthened ancient concrete

A new look inside 2,000-year-old concrete – made from volcanic ash, lime (the product of baked limestone), and seawater – has provided new clues to the evolving chemistry and mineral cements that allow ancient harbor structures to withstand the test of time. The research has also inspired a hunt for the original recipe so that modern concrete manufacturers can do as the Romans did. (more…)

Roman Seawater Concrete Holds the Secret to Cutting Carbon Emissions

By Guest PostJune 24, 2013Scienceals, ancient seawater concrete, berkeley lab, bessy synchrotron, chemical attack, cutting carbon emissions, drill core, emperor augustus, environmentally damaging, Germany, greenhouse gas emissions, gulf of naples, king abdullah university, library foundation, limestone, loeb classical, marie jackson, mediterranean sea, modern world, paulo monteiro, pliny the elder, pompeii, portland cement, pozzolan, pozzuoli bay, roman concrete, roman harbor, roman seawater concrete, samples, saudi arabia, secret, vitruvius, volcanic ash

Berkeley Lab scientists and their colleagues have discovered the properties that made ancient Roman concrete sustainable and durable

The chemical secrets of a concrete Roman breakwater that has spent the last 2,000 years submerged in the Mediterranean Sea have been uncovered by an international team of researchers led by Paulo Monteiro of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab), a professor of civil and environmental engineering at the University of California, Berkeley.

Analysis of samples provided by team member Marie Jackson pinpointed why the best Roman concrete was superior to most modern concrete in durability, why its manufacture was less environmentally damaging – and how these improvements could be adopted in the modern world. (more…)

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New Studies of Ancient Concrete Could Teach Us to Do as the Romans Did

Roman Seawater Concrete Holds the Secret to Cutting Carbon Emissions