ALTERNATIVE BUILDING MATERIALS

ALTERNATIVE BUILDING MATERIALS

Aerocon Blocks | Green Building Materials

Aerocon Blocks are an innovative product in the green building revolution. These blocks are the new blocks in walling materials, substituting conventional and environmentally unsustainable materials like clay bricks, concrete and hollow blocks.

Aerocon blocks are an Autoclaved Aerated concrete blocks used in the construction of walls. The raw materials used in the manufacture of these blocks are environmentally friendly and are certified green products. Fly ash is also used as an alternative building material which is a waste from thermal power plants.

Aerocon Blocks | Aerated Concrete Blocks

Since, these materials are light weight with high thermal insulation, they are highly fire resistant. These blocks save water during construction and ensure long term sustainability of the building. These blocks have been used in wide range of constructions which include residential, commercial, hotels, hospitals, schools etc.

The edges of the blocks are such that they allow easy workability and accurate dimensioning. Aerocon blocks are easier to install as opposed to the installation and usage of conventional building materials where construction deadline is short and labour scarcity is acute and mortars are to be used.

The time required for the installation of Aerocon Blocks is about 1/3rd as compared to the time required for the installation of conventional Building materials. Aerocon blocks are available in various sizes and shapes. They are included into the category of Green Building materials because they don’t emit VOC (Volatile Organic Compounds) which cause environmental pollution.

Hence, it is one of the revolutionary materials that can be used to make the world a better, greener and cleaner place to live in.

Carbon-negative cement | New revolutionary Building material

Carbon-negative cement…?? Sound different, doesn’t it?

Have you ever realized how much carbon is emitted because of using concrete in the construction of buildings, highways, dams, bridges etc.?

Well, here’s an answer to that. It is found that out of the 100% carbon dioxide emissions, 5% of the emissions are caused by human activities. Majority of the carbon emission is caused by usage of concrete in the constructions. How? Cement is an indispensible ingredient used for making concrete. Cement is made by baking limestone and clay powders under intense temperatures (high temperature). The intense heat which is required for the production of cement is achieved by burning of fossil fuels which in turn release large amount of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.

Building Construction | we can just imagine to what extent the carbon dioxide would be released into the atmosphere.

Carbon dioxide is also released when the conversion of limestone takes place in the kilns. This conversion is called “Calcination”. It has been observed that the amount of carbon dioxide emitted during calcination is much higher than that which is released due to burning of fossil fuels.

Recently, a British company called “Novacem” came up with this concept of manufacturing ‘carbon-negative’ cement that absorbs more carbon-dioxide than it emits over its entire life cycle.

How have they been able to achieve this?

In the production of Portland cement, calcium carbonate or limestone is used as the primary ingredient. So instead of using calcium carbonate or limestone which is responsible for the emission of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere; they are using magnesium silicates since this material does not emit carbon dioxide in the manufacturing process. They are employing low-temperature production processes where the fossil fuels would be replaced by biomass.

It has been observed that this cement absorbs greenhouse gases as its age advances.

Construction industry is aware of the increase in the carbon footprint and also realizes the need to curb it. This will only be possible if we are able to accept these products and try to break away from our conventional materials and working methods.

It has been estimated that for every ton of Portland cement replaced by the new product “carbon negative cement”, three quarters of a ton of carbon dioxide is prevented from entering into the atmosphere.

International cement makers have been striving hard to turn the cement industry from a big emitter of carbon to a big absorber of carbon. They have taken an initiative by investing in modern kilns and using little carbon-heavy fuel as possible but the reductions in carbon release have been limited till date.

About Author:

I am Thomas Britto here to share my experiences in the civil engineering field to all my readers.Today many students are struggling to buy books at high prices. So I decided to start a blog and share my experience and knowledge with all my readers.

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