Sustainability problem

Production of concrete is environmentally destructive. In its 1 metric ton manufacture, up to 920 KG of CO2 is produced. The 3 billion metric tons of concrete made around the world in 2009 alone accounts for 5% or CO2 emission produced that year. Efforts to develop a sustainable alternative is thereby crucial.

 

Technological solution

(This post will review the green-mix concrete design developed by researchers from Universiti Teknologi MARA Malaysia)

 

• The concrete is manufactured and designed utilizing conventional materials with partial replacement using recycled materials namely:
  • Fly ash – byproduct of coal power plants that are usually disposed in ponds and sent to landfills. Its properties have a large potential of replacing cement.
  • Crushed concretes from demolished construction – used as aggregates.
  • Aluminum cans – used as reinforcements. They can easily be changed to chopped fibers.
• The concrete is cost effective due to the optimized material proportion. Its strength is also enhanced by 30% and is environmentally better performing as raw material consumption and landfill waste are reduced.

 

Stakeholders

• Municipalities
• Environmental NGOs
• Construction companies
• Green concrete manufacturer
• Building users

 

Implementation

• Government should create incentives for the production of the green-mix concretes or buildings that have opted to utilize them. This can be done through tax breaks, subsidies etc. NGOs may be able to help efforts lobby the government for such efforts.
• Maintain relationship with investors to secure funding in order to constantly improve the quality of the product.
• The university should create a marketing strategy to promote the green concrete mix, not only to construction companies and building designers, but also for potential commercialization in the nearby future.

http://phys.org/news/2015-05-green-mix-concrete-environmentally-friendly-material.html#jCp

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/05/150526093237.htm

http://www.polishtheplanet.com/blog/article/environmentally-friendly-green-concrete