5 High Tech Concrete Alternatives Are Eco-Friendly

The times they are a-changing. "Green" is in. Consumers want environmentally friendly products, homes and buildings. The government wants to encourage sustainability. Green buildings, not yet common, command a premium price. The result is that the building industry is developing and using more earth-friendly products than ever. Architects and engineers are designing green buildings and specifying green building materials more often than ever.

Concrete is an amazing material. It's long lasting, high strength and easily produced. It's one of the most common building materials used around the world. Cement, a major component of concrete however, is environmentally "dirty." One ton of carbon dioxide is produced for every ton of cement created. There has been a lot of work done recently to improve concrete by developing high-tech and green alternatives.

During recent years a number of companies have put intense effort into

Calera, a California company, developed an innovative method to produce both cement and aggregate, another component of concrete. Their method of production however, is unique. During production of every ton of cement, their methods actually reMove 1/2 ton of CO2 from the air.

Another California company, iCrete, developed a "mix design technology" to create high performance concrete that is notably superior to traditional concrete, yet more economical with lower gas emissions. According to iCrete the use of this product can reduce the carbon footprint of a typical construction project by 40 percent.

A New Jersey company, Hycrete, has developed a method to permanently waterproof concrete. This method eliminates the need and expense of using petroleum based membranes to protect underground concrete from moisture in the soil. The process also speeds up construction, helps building last longer and reduces use of petroleum-based products.

Scientists at MIT have been studying the structure of concrete at the sub-microscopic level. They've been trying to determine why concrete ages and deteriorates over time. Their findings indicate that eventually they will be able to increase the longevity of concrete, and buildings, from about one hundred years to many thousands of years requiring less concrete to be made in the first place.

The University of Michigan has developed a self-healing concrete that can withstand much more sever strain than ordinary concrete. When concrete is severely stressed, microscopic cracks form.

These cracks expose dry cement in which reacts with CO2 and moisture to form calcium carbonate 'scars' which quickly heal the concrete. By delaying or even reversing the typical deterioration process, the concrete help structures last longer and reduce environmental impacts.

Concrete is one of the most useful and widely used building materials on Earth. That won't change anytime soon. Concrete has properties that make it extremely useful engineers and architects in a wide variety of applications. Innovations over the past decade promise to make concrete even more useful, while at the same time making it more durable, more economical and reducing environmental impacts.

component shelf wall mount

---

Thanks To : Rechargeable Batteries | Green Battery Chargers | Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS2 Macbook Charger for MC207LL