Low-carbon construction materials encompass a broad class of building products engineered to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, resource consumption, and environmental impact across their life cycle. Approaches include alternative binders such as geopolymers and low-clinker cements, incorporation of recycled aggregates and industrial by-products, and development of bio-based and engineered living materials that can self-heal or sequester carbon. These materials are applied in concrete, masonry, pavements, insulation, and structural components, often integrating circular economy principles and digital design or AI tools for performance optimization.
Engineering
In 2022, global production of construction materials accounted for more than 7% of total carbon emissions. But how many of those materials were truly necessary to build houses, buildings and bridges?
Jun 24, 2026
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Engineering
For years, builders and developers have treated "sustainable" homes as someone else's problem. Solar panels, batteries, double-glazed windows, correct insulation, good ventilation and better materials have been thought to ...
Jun 23, 2026
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Energy & Green Tech
An ingredient that gives ice cream a creamier texture could make natural earthen materials like clay and sand easier to 3D print into durable structures, according to new research led by scientists at the University of Colorado ...
Jun 23, 2026
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Engineering
Researchers from Plasma Technology and Surfaces, Paint/Lacquer Technology, as well as Automation and Production Technology at Fraunhofer IFAM, in collaboration with HYTANK project partners, developed resource-efficient manufacturing ...
Jun 12, 2026
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Energy & Green Tech
The dyes used in the clothing industry almost always come from fossil-fuel-based chemicals. In the long term, this will not be sustainable. In Sweden, scientists in the EU research project Locality are exploring whether algae ...
Jun 8, 2026
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Engineering
For the first time, researchers, including those from the University of Tokyo, have found out how to determine how much carbon dioxide (CO2) from either natural or anthropogenic sources can be absorbed by special concrete ...
Jun 4, 2026
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Energy & Green Tech
Huge amounts of clothing are simply discarded, and almost nothing goes to reuse or recycling. But with sensors and artificial intelligence, textile waste can be sorted so carefully that far more could be recycled—and turned ...
Jun 4, 2026
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Energy & Green Tech
A pioneering technology capable of converting lignin, one of the world's most abundant organic compounds, into vanillin and biodegradable materials has been unveiled by the University of Alicante (UA), in collaboration with ...
Jun 3, 2026
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Engineering
Researchers at Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden, have developed a new, entirely bio-based material from a somewhat unexpected ingredient: yeast. The material is 3D printed and customized for use in architectural ...
Jun 3, 2026
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Energy & Green Tech
In the COCOBIN project, coordinated by the University of Oulu, coating materials are being developed from suberin, a natural compound found, for example, in birch bark. In plants, suberin acts as a protective layer and prevents ...
Jun 1, 2026
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