Green Concrete - Report Example

Green Concrete Saoud Alshamsi 01894 ENGL203-005 Michael MC Kenzie Qatar Introduction Green concrete is defined as a form of concrete that has not undergone the curing process that aims at hardening the building material. The term is used to describe a form of concrete and other products used in building and construction that are friendly to the environment. For concrete to qualify as green, it must have undergone a number of extra steps in the mixing design and placement process so as to ensure that it creates sustainable structures that has a long life cycle. Green concrete can simply be defined as that concrete that has not hardened appreciably thus making it environment friendly (American Concrete Institute, 2008). It has the wide impact of saving energy, reducing water wastages and decreasing the rate of carbon dioxide emissions. The aspect of green concrete is obtained through the introduction of new form of technology that is based on the consideration of all the stages involved in the life cycle of concrete making. The stages include structural design, specification, manufacturing, and maintenance. Green concrete has a number of advantages which include good thermal and fire resistance, less maintenance and repairs, improved workability and increased sustainability in development. The green concrete technology was first introduced in 1998 by Dr. WG in Denmark, and it received its first application in the country. Three main benefits that green concrete could have are that it reduces carbon dioxide emissions, is environmentally friendly, and sustainable. Reduction of Carbon Dioxide emissions Statistics has indicated that for every one tone of cement that is produced, about 0.9 tons of carbon dioxide is emitted. Past researchers have indicated that the level of carbon dioxide emissions that results from the manufacturing of concrete can be reduced by the use of low amount of cement as well as higher amounts of supplementary cementitious materials (SCM) which include slag and the fly ash. It has been established that cement production results into huge emission of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere hence the use of green concrete will greatly minimize such emissions (Jepsen, et. al, 2001). Green concrete attains the ability to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by varying the mixture used in the making cement. By adding water to magnesium compounds, solid setting cement that does not rely on limestone that contains a high amount of carbon can be obtained. Geopolymer technology has been identified as one of the means through with the emission of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere can be regulated according to Nowak. It was noticed that as the concrete hardened, the atmospheric carbon dioxide reacted with the magnesium to create carbonates that offered strength to the cement while at the same time trapping the gas inside (Nowak, 2008). The green concrete has the ability to reduce the emission of carbon dioxide by at least 30%. Most carbon dioxide emissions from concrete originate from cement hence the need to use higher amounts of supplementary cementitious materials and lower amounts of cement. Green concrete as environmental friendly Green concrete is highly regarded to be environment-friendly that is evident in a number of factors. One of them is being in a position to support recycling processes that are able to minimize wastages and environmental degradation. Green concrete is made using by-products obtained from the manufacturing processes and waste materials thus limiting the challenges associated with waste disposal and management. The environmentally beneficial attributes of concrete are applied in this form of design (International Federation for Structural Concrete, 2012). It produces non-toxic runoffs, unlike asphalt. Green concrete applies the use of waste products that are used to replace partially cement and the methods used in making this form of concrete require the use less energy. The waste materials are used to make new products or as admixtures so as to ensure that the environment is protected from large waste deposits. Concrete leads to accumulation of heat which in turn increases the environmental temperatures leading to global warming (Ramkumar, 2013). The low energy consumption in green concrete manufacturing is obtained by replacing cement with fly ash, increasing the use of micro silica and increasing the use of alternative raw materials and alternative sources of fuel. Green concrete has good thermal, sound insulation and fire resistance abilities that further contribute to its friendly to the environment. It improves the ability of buildings to resist damping that ensures that the buildings are well protected from leakages that may result due to excess damping. The flexibility is resulting from the fact that green concrete reduces the dead weight of structures as well as the crane age load ensures that the building do not cause major damages in case of breakdowns during the construction process. Lack of environmental pollution resulting from the use of green concrete improves its positive implication to the environment. Sustainability Green concrete has great sustainability in terms of the strength of the buildings and their ability to withstand changes in environmental conditions and passage of time. It reduces shrinkage and creep on buildings and other structures. The fact that green concrete applies optimized mix makes it easier to handle and improved consistency. The sustainability of green concrete is seen in the mix design that has set objectives. The replacement of excess cement paste by aggregates is likely to improve the stability, durability and strength of structures. Less use of cement means that less heat will be generated for hydration. Green concrete offers the best means through which sustainable construction can be attained and reducing the negative effects of emissions of dangerous gases that contribute to global warming (The first international conference on concrete sustainability, 2013). Sustainable construction is defined as forms of constructions that are based on minimizing environmental impact while at the same time capitalizing on the economic capacity of the construction process. The sustainability of the green concrete technology can also be seen in its increased level of efficiency that can be analyzed in terms of its affordability, ability to conserve water and energy. The method enhances the quality of indoor air since it ensures low- or non-toxic gas emissions, moisture resistance and ease in maintenance. Conclusion Green concrete technology has offered to a clear means by which the world can be made better through the reduction of gasses that are harmful to the environment such as carbon dioxide. This will help minimizing the dangerous effects of global warming. The technology is set to offer a complete replacement for cement or coarse aggregates, and this is to be substituted by residual products in the manufacturing process. As a result, the objective behind green concrete will lead to sustainable development with care granted to the natural resources. Three main benefits that green concrete could have are that it reduces carbon dioxide emissions, is environmentally friendly, and sustainable. How the above benefits can be achieved through green concrete has been discussed above. Although the use of green concrete has net been embraced in every part of the world, people need to sensitize on its benefits and the need to apply it in any form of construction. References American Concrete Institute. (2008). Specifications for structural concrete, ACI 301-05, with selected ACI references: Field reference manual. Farmington Hills, MI (P.O. Box 9094, Farmington Hills 48333: American Concrete Institute. Retrieved on 5/20/2015 from: https://books.google.co.ke/books?id=bGwcUvwq7k8C&pg=PA51&dq=green+concrete+definition&hl=en&sa=X&ei=VFltVfTfCYT0Uq3ygegH&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=green%20concrete%20definition&f=false International Federation for Structural Concrete. (2012). Guidelines for green concrete structures. Lausanne: International Federation for Structural Concrete fib. Retrieved on 5/20/2015 from: https://books.google.co.ke/books?id=i0rkAwAAQBAJ&pg=PP2&dq=International+Federation+for+Structural+Concrete.+%282012%29.+Guidelines+for+green+concrete+structures.&hl=en&sa=X&ei=sw5cVcuYE6PP7Qa-p4CQBA&ved=0CBsQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=International%20Federation%20for%20Structural%20Concrete.%20(2012).%20Guidelines%20for%20green%20concrete%20structures.&f=false Jepsen, M. T., Mathiesen, D., Munch-Petersen, C., & Bager, D. (2001, October). Durability of Resource Saving “Green” Types of Concrete. In Proceedings of the FIB-Symposium on Concrete and Environment. Berlin p. 257-265. Retrieved on 5/20/2015 from: https://books.google.co.ke/books?id=YeMA2JV5qZAC&pg=PA786&dq=Jepsen,+M.+T.,+Mathiesen,+D.,+Munch-Petersen,+C.,+%26+Bager,+D.+%282001,+October%29.+Durability+of+Resource+Saving+%E2%80%9CGreen%E2%80%9D+Types+of+Concrete.+I&hl=en&sa=X&ei=nQ9cVb3bB8iR7Aaf7ICQCQ&ved=0CB0Q6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=Jepsen%2C%20M.%20T.%2C%20Mathiesen%2C%20D.%2C%20Munch-Petersen%2C%20C.%2C%20%26%20Bager%2C%20D.%20(2001%2C%20October).%20Durability%20of%20Resource%20Saving%20%E2%80%9CGreen%E2%80%9D%20Types%20of%20Concrete.%20I&f=false Nowak, R. (2008). Geopolymer concrete opens to reduce CO2 emissions. New Scientist, 197(2640), 28-29. Retrieved on 5/20/2015 from https://books.google.co.ke/books?id=NqijAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA210&dq=Nowak,+R.+%282008%29.+Geopolymer+concrete+opens+to+reduce+CO2+emissions&hl=en&sa=X&ei=FRBcVYXvC6nX7Qb9oYPICQ&ved=0CBsQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=Nowak%2C%20R.%20(2008).%20Geopolymer%20concrete%20opens%20to%20reduce%20CO2%20emissions&f=false Ramkumar, M. (2013). On a sustainable future of Earths natural resources. Berlin: Springer Retrieved on 20/5/2015 from: https://books.google.co.ke/books?id=tSVEAAAAQBAJ&pg=PA178&dq=Ramkumar,+M.+%282013%29.+On+a+sustainable+future+of+Earth%27s+natural+resources.&hl=en&sa=X&ei=mxFcVfiQI6e67gbiwIDgBw&ved=0CBsQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=Ramkumar%2C%20M.%20(2013).%20On%20a%20sustainable%20future%20of%20Earths%20natural%20resources.&f=false The first international conference on concrete sustainability. (2013). Concrete International, , 21-23. Retrieved on 5/20/2015 from: http://0search.proquest.com.mylibrary.qu.edu.qa/docview/1462383882?accountid=13370 Read More