ENVIRO FRIENDLY CEMENT & CONCRETE — A REVIEW OF TECHNOLOGICAL OPTIONS

Abstract:

There is an increasing realisation in the building industry that we can no longer ignore the issues of environmental degradation and its effects on the delicate Eco-balance of our plant.

It is well known that approximately 1.5 tons of limestone is consumed for every ton of cement.  As the manufacture of cement requires high temperature pyro-processing at       ~ 1450ºC, large amounts of fossil fuels and electrical energy are used.  Each ton of cement that is produced is accompanied by approx. 1 ton of carbon dioxide, which is one of the gases primarily responsible for global warming.  About 7 – 9% of the world’s carbon dioxide emissions is attributable to the cement industry.  Understandably therefore, major research initiative have been directed towards :

(a)  Controlling the depletion of natural resources.

(b) Reducing the emissions of pollutants such as CO₂ / SO₂ / NOx etc. into the atmosphere.

This paper reviews some of the recent developments in the search for sustainable development, so that while we fulfill the economic needs for today, we do not encroach upon the right of the future generations to meet theirs. 

The authors have also reviewed some of the recent work in development of green concrete which utilises fly ash not only as a building materials admixture, but also exploits it for supporting plant growth.