Why concrete recycling is more than just a eco-friendly option

Why concrete recycling is more than just a eco-friendly option

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Sustainability has become a key focus within the construction industry due to government pressures.

Conventional power intensive materials like concrete and metal are now being gradually replaced by more environmentally friendly options such as bamboo, recycled materials, and manufactured wood. The primary sustainability improvement into the construction industry however since the 1950s was the inclusion of supplementary cementitious materials such as fly ash, slag and slicia fume. Replacing a portion of the concrete with SCMs can notably reduce CO2 emissions and energy consumption during production. Additionally, the inclusion of other renewable materials like recycled aggregates and commercial by products like crushed class and plastic granules has gained increased traction in the previous few years. The employment of such materials has not only lowered the interest in raw materials and resources but has recycled waste from landfills.

Conventional concrete manufacturing utilises huge reserves of raw materials such as for example limestone and cement, that are energy-intensive to extract and create. Nonetheless, industry experts and business leaders such as Naser Bustami would probably point down that novel binders such as for instance geopolymers and calcium sulfoaluminate cements are excellent greener options to conventional Portland cement. Geopolymers are made by triggering industrial by products such as fly ash with alkalis resulting in concrete with comparable and sometimes even superior performance to mainstream mixes. CSA cements, on the other side, require reduced temperature processing and give off fewer carbon dioxide during manufacturing. Therefore, the use of those alternate binders holds great possibility of cutting carbon footprint of concrete manufacturing. Furthermore, carbon capture technologies are increasingly being introduced. These innovative solutions aim to catch carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from cement plants and make use of the captured CO2 in the manufacturing of artificial limestone. This technologies may potentially turn cement as a carbon-neutral if not carbon-negative product by sequestering CO2 into concrete.

Over the past number of decades, the construction industry and concrete production in specific has seen significant change. That is especially the case with regards to sustainability. Governments across the world are enacting stringent rules to apply sustainable practices in construction projects. There exists a more powerful attention on green building attempts like reaching net zero carbon concrete by 2050 and a greater interest in sustainable building materials. The demand for concrete is expected to boost due to population growth and urbanisation, as business leaders such as Amin Nasser anNadhim Al Nasrwould probably attest. Many countries now enforce building codes that require a certain portion of renewable materials to be used in construction such as for instance timber from sustainably manged woodlands. Additionally, building codes have incorporated energy efficient systems and technologies such as for instance green roofs, solar power panels and LED lights. Furthermore, the emergence of the latest construction technologies has enabled the industry to explore innovative solutions to improve sustainability. For instance, to lessen energy consumption construction companies are constructing building with large windows and utilizing energy conserving heating, air flow, and air-con.