Concrete that lasts centuries and captures carbon? AI just made it possible

Imagine concrete that not only survives wildfires and extreme weather, but heals itself and absorbs carbon from the air. Scientists at USC have created an AI model called Allegro-FM that simulates billions of atoms at once, helping design futuristic materials like carbon-neutral concrete. This tech could transform cities by reducing emissions, extending building lifespans, and mimicking the ancient durability of Roman concrete—all thanks to a massive leap in AI-driven atomic modeling.

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Tau.Neutrino said:

Concrete that lasts centuries and captures carbon? AI just made it possible

Imagine concrete that not only survives wildfires and extreme weather, but heals itself and absorbs carbon from the air. Scientists at USC have created an AI model called Allegro-FM that simulates billions of atoms at once, helping design futuristic materials like carbon-neutral concrete. This tech could transform cities by reducing emissions, extending building lifespans, and mimicking the ancient durability of Roman concrete—all thanks to a massive leap in AI-driven atomic modeling.

More…

I haven’t looked at the link but:

1) All concrete absorbs CO2

2) The main reason that Roman concrete was more durable than some modern concrete was that it didn’t have steel reinforcement inside it.

3) Concrete equivalent to Roman concrete has been in standard use for years, particularly in countries with plenty of volcanic material available, like NZ.

The Rev Dodgson said:

Tau.Neutrino said:

Concrete that lasts centuries and captures carbon? AI just made it possible

Imagine concrete that not only survives wildfires and extreme weather, but heals itself and absorbs carbon from the air. Scientists at USC have created an AI model called Allegro-FM that simulates billions of atoms at once, helping design futuristic materials like carbon-neutral concrete. This tech could transform cities by reducing emissions, extending building lifespans, and mimicking the ancient durability of Roman concrete—all thanks to a massive leap in AI-driven atomic modeling.

More…

I haven’t looked at the link but:

1) All concrete absorbs CO2

One of the big lessons of the “Biosphere 2” project, built largely of concrete, was that the plants couldn’t survive because the concrete structure stole too much of the CO2 IIRC

esselte said:

The Rev Dodgson said:

Tau.Neutrino said:

Concrete that lasts centuries and captures carbon? AI just made it possible

Imagine concrete that not only survives wildfires and extreme weather, but heals itself and absorbs carbon from the air. Scientists at USC have created an AI model called Allegro-FM that simulates billions of atoms at once, helping design futuristic materials like carbon-neutral concrete. This tech could transform cities by reducing emissions, extending building lifespans, and mimicking the ancient durability of Roman concrete—all thanks to a massive leap in AI-driven atomic modeling.

More…

I haven’t looked at the link but:

1) All concrete absorbs CO2

One of the big lessons of the “Biosphere 2” project, built largely of concrete, was that the plants couldn’t survive because the concrete structure stole too much of the CO2 IIRC

Seems surprising, but it mentions that in the TATE article too: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biosphere_2

I think it will be quite some time before concrete absorbing too much CO2 is seen as a problem in the wider world :)

The Rev Dodgson said:

Tau.Neutrino said:

Concrete that lasts centuries and captures carbon? AI just made it possible

Imagine concrete that not only survives wildfires and extreme weather, but heals itself and absorbs carbon from the air. Scientists at USC have created an AI model called Allegro-FM that simulates billions of atoms at once, helping design futuristic materials like carbon-neutral concrete. This tech could transform cities by reducing emissions, extending building lifespans, and mimicking the ancient durability of Roman concrete—all thanks to a massive leap in AI-driven atomic modeling.

More…

I haven’t looked at the link but:

1) All concrete absorbs CO2

2) The main reason that Roman concrete was more durable than some modern concrete was that it didn’t have steel reinforcement inside it.

3) Concrete equivalent to Roman concrete has been in standard use for years, particularly in countries with plenty of volcanic material available, like NZ.

Yes, yes and yes. I did read the article, and the only thing that seems to be new is the possibility of self healing. And they didn’t say how it would do that.

The Rev Dodgson said:

I think it will be quite some time before concrete absorbing too much CO2 is seen as a problem in the wider world :)

Mostly because it emits about ten times that much CO2 during it’s manufacture.

becklefreckle said:

The Rev Dodgson said:

I think it will be quite some time before concrete absorbing too much CO2 is seen as a problem in the wider world :)

Mostly because it emits about ten times that much CO2 during it’s manufacture.

To be fair, there is a lot of work going on to reduce the emissions by various means.

The Rev Dodgson said:

Tau.Neutrino said:

Concrete that lasts centuries and captures carbon? AI just made it possible

Imagine concrete that not only survives wildfires and extreme weather, but heals itself and absorbs carbon from the air. Scientists at USC have created an AI model called Allegro-FM that simulates billions of atoms at once, helping design futuristic materials like carbon-neutral concrete. This tech could transform cities by reducing emissions, extending building lifespans, and mimicking the ancient durability of Roman concrete—all thanks to a massive leap in AI-driven atomic modeling.

More…

I haven’t looked at the link but:

1) All concrete absorbs CO2

2) The main reason that Roman concrete was more durable than some modern concrete was that it didn’t have steel reinforcement inside it.

3) Concrete equivalent to Roman concrete has been in standard use for years, particularly in countries with plenty of volcanic material available, like NZ.

so having steel reinforcing the concrete is bad

SCIENCE said:

The Rev Dodgson said:

Tau.Neutrino said:

Concrete that lasts centuries and captures carbon? AI just made it possible

Imagine concrete that not only survives wildfires and extreme weather, but heals itself and absorbs carbon from the air. Scientists at USC have created an AI model called Allegro-FM that simulates billions of atoms at once, helping design futuristic materials like carbon-neutral concrete. This tech could transform cities by reducing emissions, extending building lifespans, and mimicking the ancient durability of Roman concrete—all thanks to a massive leap in AI-driven atomic modeling.

More…

I haven’t looked at the link but:

1) All concrete absorbs CO2

2) The main reason that Roman concrete was more durable than some modern concrete was that it didn’t have steel reinforcement inside it.

3) Concrete equivalent to Roman concrete has been in standard use for years, particularly in countries with plenty of volcanic material available, like NZ.

so having steel reinforcing the concrete is bad

not necessarily.