2008 Winner Profiles
Technological Challenge
First Place
Sequestering CO2 in Concrete Production
Bellingham High School, Bellingham
Sam Lewis, Calvin Atkins, Dylan Albrecht
Advisor: James Yoos
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“This project helped to open our eyes to not only the problems with energy and transportation, but also the solutions that need to happen imminently.”
Cement is the glue that holds sand and gravel together to make concrete, the most widely used material in the world. Producing cement involves heating powdered limestone and clay in a kiln at very high temperatures. This process generates as much as 10 percent of the world's total carbon dioxide emissions, making it a significant contributor to global warming.
A team of students from Bellingham High School took home the first place award in the Technological Challenge by using algae to sequester carbon dioxide emissions from cement processing plants, then extracting oils from the algae to efficiently create a biofuel.