Scientists replaced 40 percent of cement with rice husk cinder, limestone crushing waste, and silica sand, giving concrete a rubber-like quality, six to nine times more crack-resistant than regular concrete. It self-seals, replaces cement with plentiful waste products, and should be cheaper to use.

[u/mvea]

https://newatlas.com/materials/rubbery-crack-resistant-cement/

[u/danielravennest]

Correct. Concrete is the single most used solid product on Earth, and about 1/6 of the mass is cement. Burning rock to make cement is done at very high temperatures, and usually by burning fossil fuels.

In theory, a solar furnace could be used, but nobody has developed an economical way to do it yet. Tests have been run with small amounts in solar furnaces, so we know it works, but not on an industrial scale.

[u/tylerhz → u/danielravennest]

Just spit-balling here, but what if we could directly power concrete making ovens with nuclear power?

[u/flavorontheroad → u/tylerhz]

To summarize other comments: Use the electricity generated by the plants to cook the product, not the reaction heat itself. Add: Build a dual use plant that uses off-peak capacity to run the concrete plant at night, then focuses primarily on powering the grid by day.

However, I grew up near TMI. My third eye is useful at times, but socially awkward.

[u/Moarbrains → u/flavorontheroad]

Seems kind of counter productive to make electricity to create heat while the process to make electricity is producing waste heat.