Concrete and its Environmental Facts
Concrete is a versatile product that has existed in various forms for centuries and is with us everywhere we look, from homes to buildings to motorways. An interesting fact, which many of us probably hadn’t realised, is that by using concrete, as a construction material helps protect our natural resources and offers benefits that isn’t available with other building products. Even the use of concrete mixers and other concrete equipment used has lower environmental impact than had been thought.
We live in a time when there is increased attention on environmental issues including the impact by construction and sustainable development. Using concrete has been shown to minimize the depletion of our natural resources. The ingredients used to make concrete come directly from readily available materials namely water, sand and gravel or crushed stone and cement. Cement is composed of mostly of limestone, which is the most common mineral in the ground. Extracting the raw materials required to produce concrete has a lower impact on the environment than that of other construction materials. This is supported by the fact that the ingredients for concrete are so plentiful and more ‘readily’ available therefore less energy is required to source and mine the ingredients.
A quarry is a type of open-pit mine generally used for extracting building materials, such as construction aggregate, sand, and gravel. Disused quarries are readily reclaimed for recreational,
residential or commercial development. Some have turned into lakes by a natural process, some developed into safe swimming sites whilst others have been used for landfill. Or, they may simply be restored to their natural state.
Recycled materials used to make concrete
Many materials that would otherwise be deposited in landfills are used in making concrete. Aggregate, for example, can contain blast furnace slag, a byproduct of steel making. Other aggregates
used to create a lightweight concrete consist of recycled polystyrene. Almost all concrete contains fly ash, one of the residues generated in the combustion of coal. Fly ash is generally captured from the chimneys of coal-fired power plants. Of the almost 20 million tons of fly ash produced each - year, about 43 percent is recycled, often used to supplement Portland cement in concrete production.
The process of making cement also uses waste materials. Industrial byproducts such as ash from coal combustion, fly ash from power stations, and mill scale and foundry sand from
steel casting provide the silica, calcium, alumina and iron needed for making cement.
Old concrete that has reached the end of its service life can be recycled and reused as aggregate for new concrete mixtures.
Materials used for making concrete are in great supply and exist almost everywhere. This means that ready-mixed concrete can be made out of local resources and can be manufactured
near the job site. This means fuel and transportation costs from the use of concrete equipment are minimized. At least 60% of all concrete is made within 100 miles of the jobsite.
Concrete is a durable material that actually gains strength over time and conserves resources by reducing maintenance and the need for reconstruction. This makes concrete an affordable, long-term building product.
Utranazz have unrivalled range of new and used concrete equipment from concrete mixers to concrete pumps and cement silos for either sale or hire – all backed up with a comprehensive sales and support network throughout many countries globally. For information on their full list of Concrete Equipment, contact:
Suzy Evans, Marketing Manager, Utranazz Ltd
Email: Suzy@utranazz.com Tel: 01280 820770
