Concrete is everywhere, from the sidewalk you step over on the way to work to the high-rise skyline in the distance. At a time when housing costs keep climbing, the pressure to build faster is real. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The problem is that global cement manufacturing is responsible for about 8% of the world\u2019s total CO2 emissions, and in 2022 it produced about 1.76 billion tons of CO2.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Now a Mexico-based<\/a> studio called MANUFACTURA says it has a path to build faster while emitting less by turning a familiar byproduct of tortillas making into a printable construction mix called “CORNCRETL.” <\/p>\n\n\n\n It blends dried corn residues, limestone-based aggregates, and recycled “nejayote” (the calcium-rich wastewater from nixtamalization) and is designed to be extruded by a robotic 3D-printing system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Cement is not just another industrial material, it is the glue holding modern infrastructure<\/a> together. But the World Economic Forum warns the sector\u2019s current trajectory could push emissions much higher without major changes.<\/p>\n\n\n\nAlso Read: The real reason China\u2019s Atlas swarm matters is simple: it turns hundreds of drones into one attacking system a single operator can command<\/a><\/h4>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
The cement problem<\/h2>\n\n\n\n