Hi, I am a 20 year old undergrad, with no scientific background apart from a biology A level and what I've read my self. I am very interested in sustainable living and I intend to be more politically active in this field. However, I am still learning, and there are many areas where I could do with a hand. So, I have a question I hope you'll be able to answer.

As I'm sure you're aware, cement production results in a huge amount of CO2 emissions: about one tonne of CO2 per tonne of cement produced, according the the papers I've read, linked below. A possible alternative are geopolymers, which are formed by reacting alumina-silicate products with an alkaline solution. They can be formed from any source of alumina-silicates, which are extremely common, both in the earth's crust, and in some industrial waste. The huge environmental advantage they have over cement is that their synthesis emits no CO2 of itself. Additionally, it requires much lower temperatures and consequently much less energy. They also have numerous structural advantages: concrete from geopolymeric cement is subject to 80% less shrinkage than concrete from Portland Cement, is faster setting and stronger than, and has very high heat resistanc (1000 to 1200 degrees without losing function) and low thermal conductivity. In addition to this it is ultra-durable, and can withstand thousands of years of weathering. All of this information I obtained from the papers below, and I haven't found anything disputing them. Geopolymers have been around since the late 70s and have been commercially applied in some areas, but they are far from replacing cement. If they are so preferable, economically and environmentally to ordinary cement, why haven't they replaced ordinary cement? I have emailed the geopolmyer institute regarding this, and got a very brief response, asking me refer to their FAQ section (I already had, and hadn't found an answer). Thanks a lot, peace

sources:
http://www.cptechcenter.org/publications/sustainable/lisustainable.pdf
http://www.geopolymer.org
http://espace.lis.curtin.edu.au/arch..._GC2__2006.pdf
http://www.buildingforafuture.co.uk/autumn05/ordinary_portland_cement.pdf

Deionised water is amazing, it wants to disolve every thing in sight! I was involved with this stuff and the precautions in using it exceeds most acids and alkalies. I think the test are a bit harsh because in nature there is not much de-ionised water about, snow, rain and condensation, are de-ionised BUT once they flow over any surface (see above) they disolve out stuff and are de-facto not de-ionised. The tests are comparable to putting foam insulation into a vacuum and watch it explode and crumble, yeh, thats what it does in a vacuum, but what will it do in my walls?
Frank