A study from the University of California, Santa Barbara suggests that replacing limestone with calcium-rich basalt in cement production could reduce carbon dioxide emissions by over 80 percent. Because basalt does not release CO2 during heating like limestone does, the process is inherently cleaner. Researchers found that this shift could also lower energy requirements by up to 60 percent. Since the final product remains standard Portland cement, the transition could bypass the lengthy validation periods typically required for new construction materials.
