“Green” Concrete?  How Concrete is Becoming more Sustainable and Eco-Friendly

Concrete has become less resource-intensive as we’ve continued into the 21^st century and come to a better understanding of the effect carbon dioxide has on our planet.  What we would call “green” concrete is made from less burning of coal and natural gas, with greater usage of waste products already available from other manufacturing processes, mineral quarries, and power plants. 

Among the more common materials used to make it green are:

              Fly ash from coal power plants

              Blast slag or slag cement from steel mills

              Silica fumes from electric furnaces after silicon alloy production

              Fiberglass and waste glass

              Rice husk ash

              Burnt clay

              Sawdust

              Foundry sand

There are even a few additional benefits over and above the ecological effects:

              Green Concrete buildings can be more resistant to fire helping prevent property damage

              Green Concrete buildings can have better thermal insulation helping to reduce energy consumption

              Green concrete buildings can have better resistance to corrosion from pollution and salts extending its useful life before needing replacement

              Green concrete is also cheaper to make (POSSIBLY THE MOST IMPORTANT benefit!)

And just to confirm, the specific ecological benefits are:

              Waste water often used, to reduce overall water consumption

               Waste/residual materials often used, to reduce natural resources consumption

              Lower energy production required to produce

The result of all these various benefits is that green concrete can be available for builders and users in many different markets not just in the United States, but all over the world as well!