Le Niu

In the relentless pursuit of quantum computational advantage, we present a significant advancement with the development of Zuchongzhi 3.0. This superconducting quantum computer prototype, comprising 105 qubits, achieves high operational fidelities, with single-qubit gates, two-qubit gates, and readout fidelity at 99.90%, 99.62%, and 99.13%, respectively. Our experiments with an 83-qubit, 32-cycle random circuit sampling on the Zuchongzhi 3.0 highlight its superior performance, achieving 1×10^{6} samples in just a few hundred seconds. This task is estimated to be infeasible on the most powerful classical supercomputers, Frontier, which would require approximately 5.9×10^{9} yr to replicate the task. This leap in processing power places the classical simulation cost 6 orders of magnitude beyond Google's SYC-67 and SYC-70 experiments [Morvan et al., Nature 634, 328 (2024)10.1038/s41586-024-07998-6], firmly establishing a new benchmark in quantum computational advantage. Our work not only advances the frontiers of quantum computing but also lays the groundwork for a new era where quantum processors play an essential role in tackling sophisticated real-world challenges.

The majority of the carbon footprint of the cement industry originates from the decomposition of alkaline carbonates during clinker production. Recent studies have demonstrated that calcium oxides and other alkaline oxides in cement materials can sequester CO2 through the carbonation process and partially offset the carbon emissions generated during cement production. This study employs a comprehensive analytical model to estimate the CO2 uptake via hydrated cement carbonation, including concrete, mortar, construction waste, and cement kiln dust (CKD), covering major cement production and consumption regions worldwide from 1930 to 2023. In 2023, the global annual cement CO2 uptake reached 0.93 Gt/yr (95% CI: 0.80–1.13Gt/yr). From 1930 to 2023, the global cumulative cement CO2 absorption reached 23.89 Gt (95% CI: 20.47–28.74 Gt), equivalent to 52.32% of the CO2 process emissions from cement production during the same period. Our system for estimating cement emissions and uptake is updated annually, providing consistent and accurate data for the cement industry and carbon cycle studies. This data supports improved adaptation to future challenges.

Abstract. A substantial amount of CO2 is released into the atmosphere from the process of the high-temperature decomposition of limestone to produce lime. However, during the lifecycle of lime production, the alkaline components of lime will continuously absorb CO2 from the atmosphere during use and waste disposal. Here, we adopt an analytical model describing the carbonation process to obtain regional and global estimates of carbon uptake from 1930 to 2020 using lime lifecycle use-based material data. The results reveal that the global uptake of CO2 by lime increased from 9.16 Mt C yr−1 (95 % confidence interval, CI: 1.84–18.76 Mt C) in 1930 to 34.84 Mt C yr−1 (95 % CI: 23.50–49.81 Mt C) in 2020. Cumulatively, approximately 1444.70 Mt C (95 % CI: 1016.24–1961.05 Mt C) was sequestered by lime produced between 1930 and 2020, corresponding to 38.83 % of the process emissions during the same period, mainly contributed from the utilization stage (76.21 % of the total uptake). We also fitted the missing lime output data of China from 1930 to 2001, thus compensating for the lack of China's lime production (cumulative 7023.30 Mt) and underestimation of its carbon uptake (467.85 Mt C) in the international data. Since 1930, lime-based materials in China have accounted for the largest proportion (about 63.95 %) of the global total. Our results provide data to support including lime carbon uptake into global carbon budgets and scientific proof for further research of the potential of lime-containing materials in carbon capture and storage. The data utilized in the present study can be accessed at https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.7896106 (Ma et al., 2023).

Abstract. The main contributor to the greenhouse gas (GHG) footprint of the cement industry is the decomposition of alkaline carbonates during clinker production. However, systematic accounts for the reverse of this process – namely carbonation of calcium oxide and other alkaline oxides and/or hydroxides within cement materials during cements' life cycles – have only recently been undertaken. Here, adopting a comprehensive analytical model, we provide the most updated estimates of CO2 uptake by cement carbonation. The accumulated amount of global CO2 uptake by cements produced from 1930 to 2021 is estimated to be 22.9 Gt CO2 (95 % confidence interval, CI: 19.6–26.6 Gt CO2). This amount includes the CO2 uptake by concrete, mortar, construction waste and kiln dust, accounting for 30.1 %, 58.5 %, 4.0 % and 7.1 % respectively. The cumulative carbon uptake by cement materials from 1930 to 2021 offsets 55.1 % of the emissions from cement production (41.6 Gt CO2, 95 % CI: 38.7–47.2 Gt CO2) over the same period, with the greater part coming from mortar (58.5 % of the total uptake). China has the highest cement carbon uptake, with cumulative carbonation of 7.06 Gt CO2 (95 % CI: 5.22–9.44 Gt CO2) since 1930. In addition, the carbon uptake amounts of the USA, EU, India and the rest of the world took 5.0 %, 23.2 %, 5.6 % and 34.8 % separately. As a result of rapidly increased production in recent years, over three-quarters of the cement carbon uptake has occurred since 1990. Additionally, our results show little impact by the COVID-19 pandemic on cement production and use, with carbon uptake reaching about 0.92 Gt CO2 (95 % CI: 0.78–1.10 Gt CO2) in 2020 and 0.96 Gt CO2 (95 % CI: 0.81–1.15 Gt CO2) in 2021. Our uniformly formatted and most updated cement uptake inventories provide coherent data-based support for including cement carbon uptake into future carbon budgets from the local to global scale. The latest version contains the uptake data till 2021, showing the global uptake's increasing pattern and offering more usable and relevant data for evaluating cement's carbon uptake capacity. All the data described in this study are accessible at https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.7516373 (Bing et al., 2023).