Scientists create carbon-neutral cement replacement with rice husks

 Concrete's contributions to sustainable construction are many -- pervious concrete, insulated walls, low-albedo values, supplementary cementicious materials (SMCs), recycling opportunities, and more -- but many people continue to focus on concrete's negative affects on the environment, namely carbon dioxide emissions from cement production. The industry has been working on sustainable manufacturing and increasing the use of cement substitutes like fly ash and slag, which lessen the amount of cement needed in concrete production. And scientists have recently found another cement substitute that's carbon neutral -- rice husks. The Discover Channel reports that rice husk ash could replace up to 20 percent of the cement in a concrete mix.