Concrete is one of the most used materials for construction. We consume up to 31 billion tons of concrete in each year, and it is considered to be the second most consumed substance after water. Compared to other materials, concrete is considered to be one of the sustainable materials used in construction. And this is the very reason why companies and concrete contractors Burnaby take pride in providing concrete projects in different residential and commercial projects.
What makes it is sustainable? The following are the qualities of concrete that qualify it as sustainable:
- It provides several benefits and uses to the society
- There is an improvement in the production and environmental properties of its products
- It is very durable and has a longer life expectancy
- It has effective-cost savings
The concrete industry and sectors are consistently challenged to meet these demands when it comes to producing and using concrete materials. It is also the very reason why concrete recycling and reusing are encouraged so as to avoid producing more concrete every year.
Another way to identify its sustainable quality is to observe its life cycle from extracting, processing, transportation, maintenance, and disposal. Many industries use design strategies to reduce hazards to the environment as well as to minimize by-products of its production.
There are many ways of how cement is used. It can be used for roofing, driveway, wall, and even in different residential and commercial landscaping projects, and the possibility of how to use this material is limitless. It is often used not just because it is durable but also because it is less susceptible to different elements like fire and water. In fact, it even has the ability to stop the fire from spreading.
Energy Consumption
When it comes to energy consumption in producing and processing cement for those purposes mentioned above, it has declined for the past 50 years and this is rooted in the development of plants and technology. Furthermore, the cement industry has promised to use alternative fuel to lower the carbon emissions and reserve the fuel resource. this has created an enormous drop in fossil usage. In 2006, the volume of waste used as an alternative fuel was about 7 million tons.
Aggregates
In producing cement, it also creates aggregates such as sands, crushed rock, and grave. The aggregate industry has also taken measures to recycle older materials from old constructions. Recycling aggregates by taking up broken materials form demolitions are able to lessen the waste that can be thrown into the landfill and help us save natural resources.
Overall, the use of cement and concrete, when we try to trace its life cycle is more environmentally friendly compared to other materials for the reasons that first, concrete is more durable and therefore provides the chance to be reused and recycled, and second, the cement industry has been improving their ways on producing and processing cement in their industry.
How Can You Contribute
There are many ways on how to contribute to the sustainability when using concrete and cement. Aside from maintaining your driveway, wall, or anything that uses concrete to prolong its life, you can also reuse and recycle old concrete for gravel, rocks, etc. from demolitions and older constructions.
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