A team of engineers from RMIT University teamed up with AGL’s Loy Yang Power Station and the Australian Ash Development Association to come up with a way to create concrete, a material commonly used in construction that has the potential to revolutionize construction. using less cement. Which makes it not only more environmentally friendly, but also more sustainable.
After several months of work, RMIT University engineers succeeded replace 80% of cement concrete with coal ash. This is good news considering that cement production alone accounts for 8% of global carbon dioxide emissions, and concrete, which typically uses large amounts of material to produce, is becoming increasingly in demand.
Although it is true that there are already companies producing ecological concrete. They use only 40% of cement.a significant amount, but obviously not enough to put an end to the negative impact that this material continues to have on the environment.
Concrete that uses 80% less cement.
Developed by RMIT University in conjunction with AGL’s Loy Yang Power Station and the Australian Ash Development Association, the sustainable, durable concrete is eco-friendly.Consists of a low calcium fly ash mixture., with 18% slaked lime and 3% nanosilica, which act as strengthening agents. After various studies, they realized that the combination of these materials makes eco-concrete much more durable than any other type.
Additionally, using low calcium fly ash in concrete also helps combat climate change. Dr Chamila Gunasekara, RMIT project leader, highlights in the study’s findings that “compared to fly ash, pond ash is underutilized in construction due to its different characteristics. And that “hundreds of megatonnes of ash waste are deposited in dams across Australia and many other places around the world.” The goal, therefore, is reuse this ashes and prevent ponds from becoming an “environmental hazard”.
The project to use this eco-concrete is still ongoing, and RMIT researchers are now working with Hokkaido University on a system (specifically software) that allows test and predict the effectiveness of this type of material over time. They hope the software will be used to test other materials.
Source: Hiper Textual
