From highways to skyscrapers, concrete seems to be ubiquitous, which is why turning it into a more environmentally-friendly material could provoke a significant impact on the world. The question is, how can this be accomplished in the long term? Take a look at the varying options and perspectives.
Scientists and Engineers are Experimenting with Greener Solutions
The use of waste materials from a variety of different industries has been increasing almost as quickly as the tendency to enjoy real money blackjack games online rather than at the brick-and-mortar venues that traditionally offered this kind of entertainment is. This has been supported by engineers and scientists that have been testing fresh ecologically-friendly solutions.
Transforming dross into new materials, upcycling, translates into a vital reduction in carbon-prints for a given industry. Upcycling industrial or architectural waste that would otherwise pollute our environment may well be an answer to our increasing rate of waste production.
Fly and Bottom Ash
Fly and bottom ash are two highly pollutant waste compounds which come from an array of coal-burning industries. Repurposing this kind of waste keeps our habitat clean from air pollution, and keeps the soil’s integrity as certain industries collect the fly ash before it gets airborne and ends up in landfills, where it could then infiltrate our water resources and end up poisoning the land.
Gathering fly ash straight from the chimneys, and scraping together bottom ash from the furnaces and then mixing these together with Portland cement renders this very pollutant residue a valuable resource instead. According to recent studies, when we replace natural sand with fly ash, the workability of concrete shows a considerable increase.
Collecting Corn Cob Ashes
Corn cobs can be transformed into ecologically-friendly pozzolan by turning the material into ash. The cobs are ground down into a coarse powder, then incinerated slowly at temperatures as high as 680°F for eight hours.
The chemical composition of the ashes which result consists primarily of Silicone Monoxide, SiO, 66.38%, and Aluminium Oxide, AI203, 7.48%.
The compounds found in clinker are used in order to create Portland cement, but in a bigger percentage, a fact which makes corn cob ash much more suitable for the tasks, thanks to the combined percentages exceeding the norm of the 70% minimum. Corn cob ash particles are also much finer than that which is found in clinker, which makes the corn cob ash blend a smoother one than the regular clinker mix.
The Promise of Oil Palm Shells
With the rise in the consumption of coconut oils in both the food and cosmetic industries, the increase in the waste produced by leftover palm shells from the oil extraction is significant. Malaysia, the biggest producer on earth, is extracting as much as seven million tons of coconut oil each year, which is resulting in a consequential amount of waste.
OIl palm shells are a full 60% lighter than the majority of coarse concrete aggregates, and this makes this material a more than suitable candidate for creating sturdy and lightweight concrete mixes. Additionally, the shells have a low Los Angeles abrasion value -80% lower- which means that they are very resistant to disintegration and crushing. Although this product has not yet been tested for durability over time, it does show promise, and could well be a more than suitable solution for the countries producing large amounts of coconut oil.
