Skip to contentNewsClimateSplitting seawater offers a path to sustainable cement productionThe technique could convert cement manufacture from carbon superemitter to carbon sequesterer Cement production (shown) accounts for a fourth of the worlds carbon emissions. But a new technique using seawater splitting might make its production carbon-negative.bfk92/E+/Getty Images PlusBy Carolyn Gramling1 hour agoA new cement-making process could shift production from being a carbon source to a carbon sink, creating a carbon-negative version of the building material, researchers report March 18 in Advanced Sustainable Systems. This process might also be adaptable to producing a variety of carbon-stashing products such as paint, plaster and concrete.Cement production is a huge contributor to global carbon dioxide emissions, responsible for about 8 percent of total CO2 emissions, making it the fourth-largest emitter in the world. Much of that carbon comes from mining for the raw materials for concrete in mountains, riverbeds and the ocean floor.Sign up for our newsletterA summary of major breakthroughs delivered every Thursday.