Sustainability of Concrete in Construction - Literature review Example

Sustainability of concrete in construction Name Course Institution Date Concrete Introduction According to Fardis (2012), concrete is a strong and durable building material due to the fact that it is a composite made up of cement, sand, gravel and chemical admixtures all combined with water to form a strongly bonded composite material. Nonetheless, it does degrade due to corrosive characteristics of the embedded steel that is added to it to increase its tensile strength through reinforcement but this is taken care of during design stage by protecting the steel underneath from corrosive substance from the external environment. . As Dhir, Paine and Newlands (2002) further explain, concrete is the most extensively used construction material across the world since it lasts long. Besides, concrete has various environmental consequences and it is a sustainable construction material. The essay discusses the sustainability of concrete for construction purposes and the benefits of using it as compared to using either steel or wood. Environmental consequences of using concrete Concrete has various environmental consequences that can be analyzed in terms of carbon dioxide emitted in the environment and energy consumed as concrete is being extracted, processed, in construction, during operation of buildings, as buildings are being demolished and as concrete is being recycled. It is on the basis of this analysis that concrete can be regarded as a green construction material. As regards environmental consequences of concrete, Lamond and Pielert (2006) explain that due to thermal mass of concrete used in construction, energy is used efficiently during the operation of structures constructed using concrete since concrete has a cooling effect. Buildings erected using concrete are long lasting and in that regard it can be argued that less energy will be used since the buildings take a long time before maintenance or any kind of repairs are done and chances of extra energy being used for demolition are greatly eliminated. Proper designing of the building will result in less amount of cement being used hence minimizing chances of wastes that can get into the environment through passing into the soil. Energy consumption is also minimized through transportation costs being low due to the fact that concrete is readily and easily available locally. Energy consumption through burnt fuels in the trucks that transports concrete to construction sites is minimized and also the extent of air pollution from emissions in the burnt fuel that propels trucks is also kept to very minimum since the distances to be travelled to the construction site are short. Also concrete walls can be painted using any color and the energy requirements in form of light in the building are very minimal since concrete walls reflect light. Besides, concrete is used in construction of pavements that are permeable and therefore runoff is reduced creating a situation whereby water is able to run back to the ground straight into the water table. Lamond and Pielert (2006) argue that concrete can be 100% recycled as a granular material and can thus be used in making roadbed and parking lots without causing any great effects on the ability of the concrete to retain its compressive strength. This goes a long way in creating environmental benefits since the composite materials that are dug to make concrete are reused and therefore the extent of environmental tampering is greatly reduced. Buildings constructed using concrete are safe, healthy and comfortable to live in since there is excellent circulation of air within them as opposed to buildings constructed using wooden facilities where there is high likelihood of bacteria developing in them. Besides, concrete walls are extremely resistant to fire, vibrations and harsh climatic conditions. Other benefits and disadvantages of using concrete as a construction material include: Concrete can be molded into any form or shape that is needed as per the immediate use requirements during construction Concrete cannot be made weak by moisture or pests since its strength keeps increasing over time and that explains why it is widely used to make roads, bridges, dams and major tunnels across the world. As compared to other buildings materials such as steel, concrete is cheap to acquire since it is readily available. The disadvantage of concrete is that it has a weak tensile strength and as such steel is used to reinforce it hence increasing its resistance to tensile forces. If compared to other building materials, the amount of carbon dioxide emitted during the production of concrete is lower and most of the carbon emissions in concrete buildings come not from concrete but rather from other facilities used to light or heat the building during its entire life cycle. Process of carbon Sequestration The aspect of carbon sequestration helps in strengthening concrete. Hester and Harrison (2010) argue that carbon sequestration in concrete entails the mechanism by which carbon gas emitted in industrial plants is introduced into concrete during the mixing process to add some good characteristics that make it more sustainable in construction purposes. The process takes place during the formation stage and even in the entire life cycle of concrete. During the stage of forming concrete, cement is produced by heating limestone to the point that it disintegrates into carbon dioxide and quicklime, then carbon dioxide is reintroduced into the process by adding water to cement, sand and gravel aggregates to form concrete. Carbon dioxide also enters concrete through the pores on the surface of the concrete paste and this has the effect of making it hard on the surface, strong and increases the permeability of concrete over its life cycle. Steel Steel is a construction material manufactured as an alloy that is made by combining iron and carbon. The form of destruction that affects steel, including the one used to reinforce concrete is the problem of corrosion. Steel rusts on contact with water and this should be avoided at all costs to ensure that maximum benefit is derived from this construction material. According to Schulitz, Sobek and Habermann (2000) steel is preferred by constructors due to its high strength and ease of installation. Other factors that make steel highly demanded among the construction specialists include; Frames made of steel are relatively cheaper than those made of concrete. It is possible for constructors to construct steel structures in various designs hence bringing out the beautiful physical appearance of steel in a stronger manner. Steel is flexible in use and can therefore be used to erect different form of structures in various construction projects. Besides, steel can be modified to a different design if in future a need for modification arises. Steel is a highly strong building material and that is why it is used as a reinforcement material to increase tensile strength in concrete. It is easy to design structures built using steel and steel is sustainable since it is possible to recycle it. As such, steel is not disposed in the landfill and is 100% recycled hence eliminating the risk of environmental pollution. Steel is efficient to use in construction since it minimizes space used on the floor and on the height. Wood Wood is a construction material that has been in existence for a very long time. It has a very complex chemical composition but despite that it is a very excellent material for construction purposes. Anderson (2002) argues that wood is a very economical material to use for construction. The fact that wood can be made into different sizes and shapes using machines makes it very attractive to use for construction purposes. Wood is the most cost effective material to use when compared to steel and concrete. Thermal qualities of wood make it not to expand or contract with temperature changes but instead it becomes harder due to drying when temperatures go up. It is also a good sound absorber and therefore used in interiors of houses to absorb effects of noise. Though light in nature, wood is also a very strong building material and does not rust like metals. However, wood has its disadvantages that may harm the environment. In an effort to acquire wood as a construction material, it can lead to deforestation if not replaced which can further cause disastrous effects of global warming. In order to ensure that deforestation does not occur, the scale of tree planting should be maintained on an upward trend so that for each tree cut a double replacement is done. It can also catch fire and burn which has the danger of burning plants and other living things that might be close. Conclusion As is evidenced in the essay, concrete is a sustainable building material due to various factors. It is very clear from the essay that concrete is durable and therefore energy efficient in terms of the operational efficiency achieved throughout the life cycle of the building. The fact that concrete is readily available makes it advantageous to use over other building materials due to low cost in acquisition and transportation. However, it is evident from the essay that wood is the most cost effective construction material to use since it is the cheapest of the three among wood, concrete and steel. As pertains substituting concrete for another building material, it is possible to erect structures using steel but concrete cannot be completely substituted since it the most sustainable material for making foundations for buildings. Bibliography Anderson, L. 2002. Wood-frame house construction. New York Hong Kong: Books for Business. Dhir, R., Paine, K. & Newlands, M. 2002. Composite materials in concrete construction : proceedings of the international seminar held at the University of Dundee, Scotland, UK on 5-6 September, 2002. London: Thomas Telford. Fardis, M. 2012. Innovative materials and techniques in concrete construction ACES workshop. Dordrecht New York: Springer Science+Business Media B.V. Hester, R. & Harrison, R. 2010. Carbon capture : sequestration and storage. Cambridge, UK: RSC Pub. Lamond, J. & Pielert, J. 2006. Significance of tests and properties of concrete and concrete-making materials. Philadelphia, PA: ASTM. Schulitz, H., Sobek, W. & Habermann, K. 2000. Steel construction manual. Basel Boston: Birkhauser. Read More