The times they are a-changing. "Green" is in. Consumers want environmentally friendly products, homes and buildings. The government wants to encourage sustainability. Green buildings, not yet common, command a premium price. The result is that the building industry is developing and using more earth-friendly products than ever. Architects and engineers are designing green buildings and specifying green building materials more often than ever.
One material that has been used in building construction for a very long time has been concrete. It truly is the backbone of construction all over the globe. But unfortunately cement, a basic component of concrete, is not so green. In fact production of one ton of cement creates one ton of carbon dioxide which is released into the atmosphere. As a result, finding alternatives and improving the production process of concrete has become a major focus for many companies.
One of the innovations made to cement production is by Calera, a California based company. They've developed a process to produce cement that does not release any additional CO2 into the atmosphere. In fact, their techniques actually remove a half ton of CO2 from the atmosphere for ever ton of cement produced.
Not to be outdone, another California company, iCrete, has been working on mix design technology and has been able to reduce the carbon footprint of a typical construction project by 40 percent. In addition, the concrete produced is superior to standard concrete and also less expensive.
Not to be outdone by their West Coast colleagues, Hycrete, a New Jersey based company has been successfully working to develop permanently waterproof concrete. Traditionally concrete has been insulated from water penetration through the use of petroleum based products. Hycrete has developed a process that eliminates the use of oil based products thereby reducing impact and construction time.
Technology experts and scientists have also been studying the deterioration of concrete for some time now. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology has been researching concrete on a sub-microscopic level. They report that with additional research they should be able to extend the life of concrete used in construction to over a thousand years. This is up from the 100 year lifespan that concrete now provides and result in less concrete being produced and used.
Another problem with traditional concrete is the formation of very minute cracks which eventually impacts the strength of the concrete structure eventually requiring replacement of the building. University of Michigan labs have developed a concrete able to self-heal these cracks. When concrete cracks, it exposes the cement to air which usually begins the deterioration process. But with their mix, calcium carbonate in the concrete combines with carbon dioxide in the air and heals the cracks. This reduces the need to replace or repair the concrete.
Concrete is one of the most useful and widely used building materials on Earth. That won't change anytime soon. Concrete has properties that make it extremely useful engineers and architects in a wide variety of applications. Innovations over the past decade promise to make concrete even more useful, while at the same time making it more durable, more economical and reducing environmental impacts.
One material that has been used in building construction for a very long time has been concrete. It truly is the backbone of construction all over the globe. But unfortunately cement, a basic component of concrete, is not so green. In fact production of one ton of cement creates one ton of carbon dioxide which is released into the atmosphere. As a result, finding alternatives and improving the production process of concrete has become a major focus for many companies.
One of the innovations made to cement production is by Calera, a California based company. They've developed a process to produce cement that does not release any additional CO2 into the atmosphere. In fact, their techniques actually remove a half ton of CO2 from the atmosphere for ever ton of cement produced.
Not to be outdone, another California company, iCrete, has been working on mix design technology and has been able to reduce the carbon footprint of a typical construction project by 40 percent. In addition, the concrete produced is superior to standard concrete and also less expensive.
Not to be outdone by their West Coast colleagues, Hycrete, a New Jersey based company has been successfully working to develop permanently waterproof concrete. Traditionally concrete has been insulated from water penetration through the use of petroleum based products. Hycrete has developed a process that eliminates the use of oil based products thereby reducing impact and construction time.
Technology experts and scientists have also been studying the deterioration of concrete for some time now. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology has been researching concrete on a sub-microscopic level. They report that with additional research they should be able to extend the life of concrete used in construction to over a thousand years. This is up from the 100 year lifespan that concrete now provides and result in less concrete being produced and used.
Another problem with traditional concrete is the formation of very minute cracks which eventually impacts the strength of the concrete structure eventually requiring replacement of the building. University of Michigan labs have developed a concrete able to self-heal these cracks. When concrete cracks, it exposes the cement to air which usually begins the deterioration process. But with their mix, calcium carbonate in the concrete combines with carbon dioxide in the air and heals the cracks. This reduces the need to replace or repair the concrete.
Concrete is one of the most useful and widely used building materials on Earth. That won't change anytime soon. Concrete has properties that make it extremely useful engineers and architects in a wide variety of applications. Innovations over the past decade promise to make concrete even more useful, while at the same time making it more durable, more economical and reducing environmental impacts.
About the Author:
Mary Smith is a freelance writer. She heard about high tech concrete from Florida Engineering Solutions. They do structural engineering design, not construction. When you need prestressed / precast concrete design, or concrete foundation design, remember Florida Engineering Solutions.
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