Ohio State Turns Industrial Waste Into Cement Materials

A chemical looping process developed at The Ohio State University converts steel slags and coal ashes into materials that can partially replace traditional cement.

Updated on Nov. 6, 2026 in Chemistry

Stainless steel process vessels and copper piping beside piles of dark slag and pale ash on a concrete pad under overcast sky. — Ohio State researchers developed a chemical looping process that turns steel slag and coal ash into materials that can partially replace traditional cement while capturing carbon dioxide. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

Researchers at The Ohio State University developed a chemical looping process that transforms steel slags and off-spec coal ashes into cementitious materials. The process accelerates carbonation four to nine times under ambient conditions and produces carbonaite-rich solids and high-purity amorphous silica.

Why it matters

The process targets industrial waste streams while capturing carbon dioxide, offering a route to reduce the emissions associated with conventional cement production. Its lower processing costs could make mineralization-based waste conversion more practical for industry.

The process accelerates carbonation kinetics four to nine times under ambient conditions while cutting processing costs to about 15-20% of direct aqueous carbonation. It also produces high-purity amorphous silica and captures carbon dioxide while generating clean hydrogen, though the extraction does not detail commercial-scale performance.

The players

The Ohio State University

A public research university in Columbus, Ohio, known for its large-scale engineering and energy research programs.

Energy and Environmental Science

A peer-reviewed scientific journal published by the Royal Society of Chemistry that covers energy and environmental research.

The details

The chemical looping method uses industrial waste streams to accelerate CO2 mineralization, transforming steel slags and off-spec coal ashes into carbonaite-rich solids and silica. The resulting materials can partially replace traditional cement in concrete, and the process also captures carbon dioxide and produces clean hydrogen.

2026: Research published in the journal Energy and Environmental Science.

The Big Picture

Direct aqueous carbonation has long been studied as a way to lock carbon dioxide into industrial waste, but its costs have limited deployment. The Ohio State chemical looping approach reduces those costs to about 15-20% of the direct method, positioning it as a cheaper alternative within the same mineralization research track.

If scaled commercially, the process could allow cement producers and steelmakers to convert waste materials into usable inputs while capturing carbon dioxide. The projected one-to-two-year payback period suggests the economics could appeal to industrial operators, though commercial timelines are not specified.

The takeaway

Turning industrial waste into construction materials while capturing carbon dioxide offers a dual benefit that could matter for both emissions and material costs. Readers tracking cement and steel sustainability should watch whether pilot projects confirm the reported cost reductions.