US EditionRoman Concrete Revival Slashes Air Pollutants While Matching Modern CO2 Emissions
METROPOLITAN CITY OF ROME, LAZIO, JUL 30 – Roman concrete requires more greenhouse gas emissions than modern cement but could reduce nitrogen oxide and sulfur oxide emissions by up to 98 percent, researchers say.
- In a Cell Press journal publication on July 25, 2025, an international team of environmental engineers analyzed the raw materials and energy demands of ancient Roman concrete to assess its sustainability.
- Today, concrete manufacturing accounts for roughly 8% of global anthropogenic carbon emissions and 3% of global energy demand, ranking cement as the third-largest CO2 emitter after China and the United States.
- Researchers found that Roman concrete production results in similar or more CO2 emissions per volume than modern formulations while reducing nitrogen oxide and sulfur oxide emissions by 11%–98%, especially with renewable energy.
- Considering durability, Roman concrete mixtures need to outlive modern formulations by at least 41 percent for buildings and 29 percent for streets, and they are capable of `self-healing`.
- Neithalath explained in 2023 that cement-related emissions will have to fall by more than 20 percent in the coming decade, and biomass may decarbonize cement more effectively than Roman methods.
16 Articles
16 Articles
Ars Technica
Is Roman concrete more sustainable? It’s complicated.
Builders in ancient Rome used a special kind of ancient concrete to construct their aqueducts, bridges, and buildings. But is Roman concrete more sustainable than the Portland cement used in today's concrete? The answer is more nuanced than one might think, according to a new paper published in the journal iScience. Roman concrete produces as much CO2 as modern methods, but fewer air pollutants. As we've reported previously, like today's Portlan…
From the ruins of the Colosseum of Rome to the aqueducts that continue to stand after more than 2,000 years, Roman concrete has been for millennia an enigma for engineers and scientists. In contrast, the estimated useful life of many of our modern constructions barely touches the 50 years, a time span that, compared to Roman longevity, is astonishingly brief, almost ridiculous. What did the Roman engineers know that we, with all our technology, …
Engineers Weigh Up Returning to Ancient Roman Concrete Recipes
The ancient Romans might have taught us a thing or two about manufacturing sustainable concrete that lasts for thousands of years. A new study has rigorously analyzed the raw materials and energy demands of their ancient recipe, revealing some useful ways to improve modern cement. Surprisingly, researchers found that producing Roman mortar and concrete requires more water and more greenhouse gas emissions than Portland cement – the most common t…
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