What
is Green Concrete?
A concrete that uses less the energy in its production and produces less carbon dioxide than normal concrete
is green concrete.
Green Concrete is taken to mean environment-friendly concrete.
Green Concrete is taken to mean environment-friendly concrete.
Why
Green Concrete?
The main ingredient in concrete is
cement and it consists of Limestone (Calcium Carbonate CaCO3). During the
manufacture of cement, its ingredients are heated to about 800 - 10000 C.
During this process, Carbon Dioxide is driven off. Approximately 1 kg of
cement releases about 900 gms of Carbon Dioxide into the atmosphere. Therefore,
green concrete came into existence to reduce the emission of carbon dioxide.
Materials
for Green Concrete
Locally
available:
Construction materials, components,
and systems found locally or regionally, saving energy and resources in
transportation to the project site.
Salvaged,
re-furnished, or re-manufactured:
Includes saving material from
disposal and renovating, repairing, restoring, or generally improving the
appearance, performance, quality, functionality, or value of a product.
Reusable
or recyclable:
Select materials that can be easily
dismantled and reused or recycled at the end of their useful life.
Recycled
Demolition Waste Aggregate
Recycled
Concrete Aggregate
Blast
furnace slag
Manufactured
Sand
Glass
Aggregate
Fly
ash
Mix
Design
1- Optimizes void space between
aggregates by optimizing particle proportions and packing of materials. This
makes more effective use of the cement binder.
2- Aggregates replace excess cement
paste to give improved stability, less shrinkage and increase in strength and
durability.
3- Less cement also generates less
heat of hydration.
4- The slump of the concrete and
its flows are a function of the shape and the quantity of the predominant size
of the aggregate in the mix.
5- Use of more fine aggregate gives
higher slump and flow. So the optimum proportions of coarse and fine aggregate
must be critically found to have the best and dense concrete in both fresh and
hardened stage of concrete.
Improved
Properties
1- Mix can result in a reduced
paste volume within the concrete structure resulting in a higher level of
protection against concrete deterioration.
2- Higher strength per kilogram of
cement
3- Increased durability and lower
permeability
4- More aggregates typically mean
higher Modulus of elasticity.
Advantages
1- User-friendly
2- Optimized mix designs mean
easier handling, better consistency and easier finishing
3- Reduction in shrinkage and creep
4- Green Concrete uses local and
recycled materials in concrete.
5- The heat of hydration of green
concrete is significantly lower than traditional concrete
This result in a lower temperature a rise in large concrete pours which is a distinct advantage for green concrete.
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