GREEN CONCRETE

A seminar report submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements

For the degree of

BACHELOR OF TECHNOLGY IN CIVIL ENGINEERING

by

PRATIK PEGU
(Roll No. 1501300)

Supervisor
PROF. G. UDGATA

School of Civil Engineering

Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology

Deemed to be University

Bhubaneswar, 751024

1
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

It is with immense pleasure that I express my sincere sense of gratitude and humble
appreciation to Prof. Gaurav Udgata for his invaluable guidance, whole hearted
cooperation, constructive criticism and continuous encouragement in the preparation
of this seminar paper. Without his support and guidance, the present work would have
remained a dream.
I would also like to take this opportunity to thank Prof. B.G. Mohapatra,
Dean, School of Civil Engineering and also take this opportunity to thank all my
scholar friends, and family for their valuable support and their encouragement
throughout the preparation of this work. I also thank all those who have directly or
indirectly helped in completion of this work

PRATIK PEGU
(1501300)

2
 DECLARATION OF SCHOLAR
I hereby certify that the work which is being presented in the report entitle "Green Concrete" in partial
fulfilment of the requirements for the award of the degree of Bachelor of Technology in School of Civil
Engineering under Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology, Deemed to be University, Bhubaneswar is an
authentic record of my own work carried out under the supervision of Prof. G. Udgata

The matter embodied in this thesis has not been submitted by me for the award of any other degree of this
or any other University/Institute.

Signature

(Pratik Pegu)

This is to certify that above statement made by the student is correct to the best of our knowledge.

Prof. G. UDGATA
(Supervisor)
School of Civil Engineering

TABLE OF CONTENTS

CONTENTS

3
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ii
DECLARATION OF SCHOLAR 3
TABLE OF CONTENTS 4
LIST OF TABLES 5
LIST OF FIGURES 5
ABSTRACT 6
1. INTRODUCTION
1.1 GENERAL 7

1.2 FORECAST OF CO2 EMISSION 8

2. LITERATURE REVIEW 10
3. ENVIRONMENT AND CONCRETE
3.1 CEMENT AND CONCRETE’S ROLE IN MEETING THE
ENVIRONMENTAL OBLIGATIONS 14
3.2 IMPACT ON ENVIRONMENT DUE TO CONCRETE 14
3.3 CEMENT PRODUCTION 15

3.4 CONCRETE AND CO2 15

4. USE OF RECYCLED AGGREGATES 17
5. USE OF QUARY DUST 18
6. TYPES OF SUPPLEMENTAL CEMENTITIOUS MATERIALS IN GREEN CONCRETE

6.1 FLYASH 19
6.2 GROUND GRANULATED BLAST FURNACE SLAG 21
6.3 SILICA FUMES 21
6.4 RICE HUSK ASH 21
6.5 PALM OIL FUEL ASH 22
6.6 MET KAOLIN 22
7. WHY GREEN CONCRETE?
7.1 REDUCTION OF CO2 EMISSION THROUGH GREEN CONCRETE 23
7.2 ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS TO USING GREEN CONCRETE 24
7.3 REDUCING ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT THROUGH CONCRETE 25
8. PRODUCTION OF GREEN CONCRETE 27
9. TYPES OF OTHER GREEN MATERIALS THAT CAN
BE USED IN PRODUCIN GREEN/SUSTAINABLE CONCRETE
9.1 RECYCLED CONCRETE 27
9.2 POST CONSUMER GLASS 27
9.3 OTHER RECYCLED MATERIALS 27
10. SUITABILITY OF GREEN CONCRETE IN STRUCTURES 28
11. POTENTIAL BARRIERS IN IMPLEMENTING GREEN CONCRETE 28
12. CONCLUSION 30
REFRENCES 31

LIST OF TABLES

4
TABLE 1: TYPICAL COMPOSITION OF OPC 8
TABLE 2: INDICATIVE CO2 EMISSION FROM
PRODUCTION OF 1 TON OF PORTLAND 25
CEMENT
TABLE 3: CALCULATED ENVIRONMENTAL 26
IMPACTS FOR 1 TON OF CONCRETE

LIST OF FIGURES
FIGURE 1.1: HISTORICAL AND FUTURE ATMOSPHERIC
CO2 CONCENTRATION 9
FIGURE 2.1: CEMENT CONSUMPTION BY REGION 16
FIGURE 6.1: FLY ASH PARTICLES VIEWED AT 1000X MAGNIFICATION 19
FIGURE 6.2: STRENGTH GAIN OF PLAIN CEMENT
AND FLY ASH CONCRETE 20

ABSTRACT

5
Green concrete is nothing but concrete made with eco-friendly waste Construction industry is growing rapidly
and new technologies have evolved very fast to cater different difficulties in the construction industry. Among
all materials used in the construction industry concrete is main material for construction purposes. Billions of
tons of naturally occurring materials are mined for the production of concrete which will leave a substantial
mark on the environment. Green Concrete is capable for sustainable development by the application of
industrial waste to reduce the consumption of natural resources and energy etc. Use of such materials saves
approximately 20% of cements. It improves economy of construction. Nowadays recycling of waste and
industrial by products gaining popularity to make concrete as environment friendly material and the concrete
can called as green concrete.

The buildings and other structures in which we live and work have a tremendous impact on our global
environment. Concrete is the world’s most abundant building material which can be shaped to make roads,
bridges, dams, tunnels, buildings etc. Recently, a research study shows that each year more than six billion
tons of concrete are produced worldwide which generates a huge amount of carbon dioxide and other
greenhouse gases into the environment that leads to global warming. In recent years, global concerns about
climate changes have led the researchers to find ways to minimize carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas
emission. ‘Green Construction’ seeks to balance resource efficiency, health, and social concerns throughout
the life cycle of a structure. Among them green concrete has a variety of benefits to offer in achieving this
goal. This paper gives an overview of the present state of green concrete that have reduced environmental
impact. It is also emphasized here that the use of green concrete embodies low energy costs, lower greenhouse
gas emission and low maintenance cost leading to sustainable construction materials. Furthermore, in terms
of resource conservation, reuse of post-consumer wastes and industrial byproducts used as a partial
replacement for Portland cement clinker, makes concrete more durable and environmentally friendly.

Keywords: Green Construction, Sustainable construction material, Resource conservation, Portland cement
clinker Recycled Aggregates, Quarry Dust, Recycled Aggregate Concrete, silica Fume, Sustainable
development; Cement; CO2; Green Concrete; Supplemental cementitious materials; By-product

1. INTRODUCTION

6
1.1 GENERAL

Green concrete is the concept of using ecofriendly materials in concrete, to make the system more
sustainable. This was first invented in Denmark in the year 1998 by Dr. WG.
Color has nothing to do with green concrete. It is a concept of thinking and environment into an
every aspect of the raw materials manufacture over construction, mixture design to structural
design, and durability. Green concrete is very often considered to be cheap to produce due to the
use of recycled material whereby avoiding the charges for the disposal of waste, less energy
consumption and greater durability.

While a normal construction practices are guided by short term economic considerations,
sustainable construction is focused on best practices which emphasize on long term affordability,
durability and effectiveness. At each stage of the life cycle of the construction, it increases ease and
quality of life, while minimizing the negative environmental impacts and increasing economic
sustainability of the construction. Any infrastructure designed and constructed in a sustainable way
minimizes the use of resources through the whole life cycle of the construction process in which the
green concrete play a vital role in achieving the sustainable construction. Having so much of
advantages has led to popularity in construction world and one of the emerging technology in
sustainable construction. Green concrete is miracle of present and tool for future when the natural
resources are on the verge of extinction.

Due to growing interest in sustainable development, engineers and architects are motivated more
than ever before to choose materials that are more sustainable. Selection of material for concrete is
more sustainable and minimizes environmental impact. Cement production accounts for more than
6% of all CO2 emission which is a major factor in the world’s global warming (Greenhouse gas). India
is the third largest cement producer in the World and one of the largest consumers of cement per
capita in the world. Rough figures are that India consumes about 1.2 Ton/year/capita, while as
World average is 0.6 Ton/year/capita. CO2 emissions from 1 ton of concrete produced vary between
0.05 to 0.13 tons. 95% of all CO2 emissions from a cubic meter of concrete are from cement
manufacturing.

The environmental problem arising from unscientific and indiscriminate disposal of municipal solid
waste (MSW) is a real menace for the whole society. These wastes are increasing day by day due to
increase in population, urbanization, and industrialization. The characterization of MSW shows that
it contains about 55–65% of compostable material, 25–35% of dry/recyclable materials, and 15–20%
of inert material. In India, the amount of MSW generated per capita is estimated to increase at a
rate of 1–1.33% annually. The provision of land filling for MSW management is not a primary
solution; the technology and science has to play the major role in the successful implementation of
waste management. It needs paradigm shift in vision in managerial concept to focus more on waste
minimization or complete recycling of waste rather than getting rid of land filling. As far as possible,
the landfill step has to be omitted from the mind by giving more emphasis on 100% recycling of
waste. Recycling and recovery (treatment/processing) plays a large role in solid waste management.
The inert waste is the result of enormous construction and demolition activities and it mainly
consists of concrete, bricks, stones pebbles, and so forth. The central pollution Control Board
(CPCB), India, has estimated the solid waste generation about 48 million tons per annum of which
25% are from construction industry.

7
The total amount of waste is estimated to be 12–14.7 million tons every year. The increasing amount
of demolition waste has created a significant impact on environment and society and its
management is a growing concern all over the world. Factors such as sustainability, economy,
shortage of land for disposal, and good quality of raw materials for construction make it imperative
that construction and demolition waste should be properly recycled. The demolition waste which
was previously thought of non-usable now has been proved by previous studies that it could be
utilized completely not only as recycled aggregate for production of environmental friendly
concrete, but also for a number of other applications in construction. Utilization of recycled
aggregate recycled aggregate solves the disposal problem and also reduces the use of natural
resources in construction industry and thus contributes to the environmental protection by reducing
carbon footprint due to less crushing. The use of recycled aggregate for the production of concrete
involves breaking demolished concrete into materials with specified size and quality. These
materials can then be combined to produce aggregate of a predetermined grading and hence can be
used in concrete.

Production and utilization of recycled aggregate are common practice in construction industries of
several countries like USA, Australia, and Japan. According to 2010 European Aggregate Association
Annual Review report, Germany is the greatest producer of recycled aggregate recycled aggregate,
with a production of about 60 million tons followed by UK, Netherlands, and France with about 49,
20, and 17 million tons, respectively. Few countries have prepared guidelines and published
standards for use of recycled aggregate in concrete like Germany (DIN 4226-100), Japan (JIS A 5021:
2011 and JIS A 5023: 2012), and China (DG/TJ07-008) [13–16]. The work Bureau Technical Circular
(WBTC) published the specifications of recycled aggregate in concrete application in public work
projects in Hong Kong. Recently BS EN 12620: 2013 has recommended the designations for recycled
concrete aggregates (RCA) and recycled aggregate (RA) concreting aggregates for general use.

In India, despite availability of huge amount of demolition waste, very few efforts have been done
on the utilization of this waste to wealth. Therefore, a systematic study has been undertaken to
utilize recycled coarse aggregate as a partial replacement for natural coarse aggregates for
development M30 grade concrete. The recycled coarse aggregates have been utilized as such
(unwashed) as well as in washed form for comparison purpose with control concrete using natural
aggregates. Engineering properties and durability aspects of the hardened concrete prepared with
the replacement of natural aggregates with recycled aggregates are discussed.

Table 1: Typical composition of ordinary Portland cement.

______________________________________________________________________________
Chemical composition (%)
_____________________________________________________________________________________
CaO SiO2 Al2O3 Fe2O3 SO3 MgO K2O Na2O TiO2 BaO P2O5 Others
_____________________________________________________________________________________
64.34 19.90 4.30 4.24 2.88 2.04 1.05 0.31 0.33 0.25 0.13 0.23
______________________________________________________________________________

1.2 FORECAST OF CO2 EMISSION

8
The exponential and unsustainable forecast of CO2 emissions during the 21st century (Fig.1.1) is
based on an estimated population increase from 6 to 9 billion; a corresponding growth in industrial
development and urbanization.

Fig 1.1 Historical and Future atmospheric CO 2 concentration

2. LITERATURE REVIEW

9
 S. P. Mukherjee And Dr Gaurang Vesmawala For a variety of reasons, the concrete industry is not
sustainable. First, it consumes huge quantities of virgin materials. Second, the principal binder in
concrete is Portland cement, the production of which is a major contributor to green-house gas
emissions that are implicated in global warming and climate change. Third, many concrete
structures suffer from lack of durability which has an adverse effect on the resource productivity of
the industry. This paper discusses the Solution to this environmental problem, the solution to this
problem is not to be replace concrete with other materials but to reduce the environmental impact
of cement. A reduction in cement use is desirable in terms of energy and this can be achieved by
using other cementitious materials or admixtures.

Bharti Joshi, Ramraj Meena, Amit kumar Shresth and Rajendra Regar Green concrete is nothing
but concrete made with eco-friendly waste Construction industry is growing rapidly and new
technologies have evolved very fast to cater different difficulties in the construction industry. Among
all materials used in the construction industry concrete is main material for construction purposes.
Billions of tons of naturally occurring materials are mined for the production of concrete which will
leave a substantial mark on the environment. Green Concrete is capable for sustainable
development by the application of industrial waste to reduce the consumption of natural resources
and energy etc. Use of such materials saves approximately 20% of cements. It improves economy of
construction. Nowadays recycling of waste and industrial by products gaining popularity to make
concrete as environment friendly material and the concrete can called as green concrete. This
review paper will give us a brief idea about advantages and disadvantages of green concrete.

Manik Goyal & Harish Kumar Development and Growth of construction industry is addicted to
Concrete and fossil fuels, and these two are the biggest issues making CO2growing in the
environment. About 8-10% of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions are generated from manufacturing
and transporting by the concrete industry. CO2 is major gas just after steam causing the greenhouse
effect. Moreover, when natural aggregates are crushed and heated at elevated temperatures,
greenhouse gases are released to the atmosphere creating environmental burdens. There is a
necessity to build a bright and sustainable future. In order to outline the sustainability of modern
construction sector, this review study is aimed to examine the effectiveness of using green concrete.
Green concrete is defined as a concrete which uses waste material as at least one of its components,
or its production process does not lead to environmental destruction, or it has high performance
and life cycle sustainability. The main aim of this literature review is to identify how green concrete
can help towards promotion of sustainable built environment. The present study outlines literature
related to green concrete manufactured from some industrial wastes such as fly ash, silica fume,
slag modified, glass modified, rubber modified and recycled aggregate concrete. The suitability of
green concrete as an alternative for demolishing the carbon emissions is studied, hence reduces
negative impact on environment and improves the sustainability of concrete structures. Based on
the results of literature reviewed in the present study, it can be concluded that green concrete has
the ability to minimize waste and encourage sustainability. The emphasis is given to encourage the
usage of green concrete as it is not just because of simple carbon dioxide reduction but also overall
waste could be minimized.

Nihar Khalatkar Cement and concrete may have an important role to play to fulfil its obligation,
agreed at the conference, to reduce the total CO2 emission by 21 %. This is because approximately 2

10
% of total CO2 emission stems from cement and concrete production. There is considerable
knowledge about how to produce concrete with a reduced environmental impact.
However, it is not known to a sufficient degree, and with what technology, this “green” concrete can
be applied in practice in buildings and structures. For instance, there is not enough information
about how the properties of green concrete, such as compressive strength, durability, fire
performance, casting and execution, hardening, and curing are affected by the measures to reduce
the environmental impact of concrete. This paper gives an overview of the present state of affairs of
concrete types that have reduced environmental impact, including the use of low energy cement,
recycling of crushed concrete as aggregate, the use of fly ash and micro silica, etc. There is a
description of among other things the possibilities of using “green” concrete within the existing
standards and specifications, research projects about green concrete, life cycle assessments, etc.
The potential environmental benefit to society of being able to build with “green” concrete is huge.

Nikhil Chhipa, Divyank Jain & Jeeya Ram Construction industry is growing rapidly and new
technologies have evolved very fast to cater different difficulties in the construction industry. Among
all materials used in the construction industry concrete is main material for construction purposes.
Billions of tons of naturally occurring materials are mined for the production of concrete which will
leave a substantial mark on the environment. Nowadays recycling of waste and industrial by
products gaining popularity to make concrete environment friendly material and the concrete can
be called as Green Concrete. Green concrete is a revolutionary topic in the history of concrete
industry. This was first invented in Denmark in the year 1998. This review paper will give us a brief
idea about as well as advantages and disadvantages about green concrete.

Neeraj Jain,Mridul Garg, and A. K. Minocha Present investigations deal with the development of
green concrete (M 30 grade) using recycled coarse aggregates for sustainable development.
Characterization of recycled coarse aggregates showed that physical and mechanical properties are
of inferior quality and improvement in properties was observed after washing due to removal of old
weak mortar adhered on its surface. The influence of natural coarse aggregates replacement (50 and
100%) with recycled coarse aggregate on various mechanical and durability properties of hardened
concrete were discussed and compared with controls at different w/c ratio. Improvements in all the
engineering properties of hardened concrete were observed using washed recycled coarse
aggregates. The compressive strength of 28-day hardened concrete containing 100% washed
recycled aggregate was slightly lower (7%) than concrete prepared with natural aggregates. Water
absorption, carbonation, and rapid chloride penetration test were conducted to assess the durability
of the concrete. Concrete was found moderately permeable for chloride ions penetration and no
carbonation was observed in all the concrete mixes studied.

Prof. Ashok Admute, Mr. Vardhan Nagarkar, Mr. Sanket Padalkar, Ms. Samruddhi Bhamre, Mr.
Akshay Tupe. Conventional concrete is responsible for amount of carbon-dioxide emission to some
Extent. So to reduce the emission, various types of concrete are developed using waste products
from industries and agricultural use like blast furnace slag, silica fume, fly ash which requires low
Amount of energy and also cause least harm to the environment. Green concrete is a new
technology developed now days to reduce the effect on environment by production of cement.
Cement contains high amount of carbon-di-oxide which harms the environment drastically, so by
replacing the cement by various materials which causes harm to the environment we not only

11
reduce the problem of disposal of these materials but we reduce the emission of carbon-di-oxide
from cement and as a result of which we reduces the negative effect on environment.

Roushan Kumar, Deepak Kumar, Sahil Hussain, GREEN concrete has nothing to do with color. It is
a concept of using eco-friendly materials in concrete, to make the system more sustainable. Green
concrete is very Often and also cheap to produce, because for example, waste products are used as
a partial substitute for cement, charges. The size of construction industry all over the world is
growing at faster rate. The huge construction growth boosts demand for construction materials.
Aggregates are the main constituent of concrete. Due to continuously mining the availability of
aggregates has emerged problems in recent times. To overcome this problem, there is need to find
replacement to some extent. Nowadays, there is a solution to some extent and the solution is
known as “Green Concrete”. . It is a concept of thinking environment into concrete considering every
aspect from raw materials manufacture over mix design to structural design, construction, and
service life.

Peter DuxsonJohn, L.ProvisGrant, C.LukeyJannie, S.J.van Deventer The potential position of and
drivers for inorganic polymers (“geopolymers”) as an element of the push for a sustainable concrete
industry are discussed. These materials are alkali-activated aluminosilicates, with a much smaller
CO2 footprint than traditional Portland cements, and display very good strength and chemical
resistance properties as well as a variety of other potentially valuable characteristics. It is widely
known that the widespread uptake of geopolymer technology is hindered by a number of factors, in
particular issues to do with a lack of long-term (20+ years) durability data in this relatively young
research field. There are also difficulties in compliance with some regulatory standards in Europe
and North America, specifically those defining minimum clinker content levels or chemical
compositions in cements. Work on resolving these issues is ongoing, with accelerated durability
testing showing highly promising results with regard to salt scaling and freeze–thaw cycling.
Geopolymer concrete compliance with performance-based standards is comparable to that of most
other high-strength concretes. Issues to do with the distinction between geopolymers synthesized
for cement replacement applications and those tailored for niche ceramic applications are also
discussed. Particular attention is paid to the role of free alkali and silicate in poorly-formulated
systems and its deleterious effects on concrete performance, which necessitates a more complete
understanding of the chemistry of geopolymerisation for the technology to be successfully applied.
The relationship between CO2 footprint and composition in comparison with Portland based
cements is quantified.

C. Y. Heah, H. Kamarudin, A. M. Mustafa Al Bakri, M. Luqman, I. Khairul Nizar Kaolin is a white

raw material that has an essential constituent which makes it ideal for industrial applications such as
green concrete. Based on a historical review, it appears that green polymeric composites created by
using kaolin itself are very limited. Research works carried out in developing other alkali-activated
binders, such as fly ash and metakaolin, shows that this new binder based on kaolin is likely to have
enormous potential to become an alternative to ordinary Portland cement (OPC) concrete. This
paper summarizes current knowledge about alkali-activated binders through a review of previously
published work and outlines the potential of kaolin to produce an environmentally friendly, energy-
saving, clean technology to conserve the natural environment and resources. These binders are still
in the early stages of development; hence, they need further research to become technically and
economically viable construction materials. Much work on alkali-activated binders has already been
12
conducted, but much work on kaolin for greener concrete remains to be done. It is hoped that
future research in this field will drive a new era of greener materials in the construction industry.

Ruoyu Jin and Qian Chen, despite the potential benefits from using “green” raw materials in
concrete production, there are barriers to the wide application of potential SCMs and AAs. Generally
speaking, the barriers exist in concrete properties, cost effectiveness, and industry perception as
explained below:
Concrete properties: Using waste streams as concrete ingredients could improve certain types of
concrete properties while undermining some others. For example, Yang et al. (2005) found that
using crushed oyster shell maintained or improved the compressive strength but decreased the
workability. The chemical reaction between silica-rich glass and the alkali was a major concern when
using glass in concrete (Batayneh et al., 2007). Concrete containing plastic aggregate decreased
compressive and tensile strengths (Siddique et al., 2008). In addition, there generally lacks
quantitative data on properties of concrete using waste materials (Duxson et al., 2007).
Cost effectiveness: Cost effectiveness would be the driving force for the industry to implement
“green” concrete. Recycling and reuse of wastes requires extra labor and energy input. Batayneh et
al. (2007) suggested that the cost between crushing wastes (e.g., glass, plastic and RCA) and
supplying prime aggregate (gravel) should be compared in project management. Similarly, Meyer
(2009) recommended comparing the transportation cost between RCA from construction &
demolition debris and virgin aggregate.
Industry perception/practice: The construction and building product industry is conservative in
nature due to the fear of product failure, which becomes a barrier to the utilization of waste
materials as pointed out by Duxson et al. (2007). They also indicated the existing negative
perceptions of the industry on non-conventional practice in concrete production, which may not be
always true. For example, fly ash-contained cement was perceived to have the poor freeze-thaw
resistance. Also, the industry tends to follow existing building codes and standards and is resistant to
new technologies (Duxson et al., 2007).

Ankit Nileshchandra Patel, Jayeshkumar Pitroda Stone waste is one of the most active research
areas that encompass a number of disciplines including civil engineering and construction materials.
In India, stone dust is settled by sedimentation and then dumped away which results in
environmental pollution, in addition to forming dust in summer and threatening both agriculture
and public health. Therefore, utilization of the stone dust in various industrial sectors especially the
construction, agriculture, glass and paper industries would help to protect the environment. It is
most essential to develop eco-friendly concrete from stone waste. In this research study the (PPC)
cement has been replaced by stone waste accordingly in the range of 0%, 10%, 20%, 30% 40%, &
50% by weight for M-25 grade concrete. Concrete mixtures were produced, tested and compared in
terms of workability and strength to the conventional concrete. These tests were carried out to
evaluate the mechanical properties for 7, 14 and 28 days. As a result, the compressive strength
increased up to 20% replacing of stone waste. This research work is concerned with the
experimental investigation on strength of concrete and optimum percentage of the partial
replacement by replacing (PPC) cement via 0%, 10%, 20%, 30%, 40% and 50% of stone waste.
Keeping all this view, the aim of the investigation is the behavior of concrete while replacing of
waste with different proportions of stone waste in concrete by using tests like compression strength.

Zasiah Tafheem, Shovona Khusru and Sabreena Nasrin. The buildings and other structures in
which we live and work have a tremendous impact on our global environment. Concrete is the
13
world’s most abundant building material which can be shaped to make roads, bridges, dams,
tunnels, buildings etc. Recently, a research study shows that each year more than six billion tons of
concrete are produced worldwide which generates a huge amount of carbon dioxide and other
greenhouse gases into the environment that leads to global warming. In recent years, global
concerns about climate changes have led the researchers to find ways to minimize carbon dioxide
and other greenhouse gas emission. ‘Green Construction’ seeks to balance resource efficiency,
health, and social concerns throughout the life cycle of a structure. Among them green concrete has
a variety of benefits to offer in achieving this goal. This paper gives an overview of the present state
of green concrete that have reduced environmental impact. It is also emphasized here that the use
of green concrete embodies low energy costs, lower greenhouse gas emission and low maintenance
cost leading to sustainable construction materials. Furthermore, in terms of resource conservation,
reuse of post-consumer wastes and industrial byproducts used as a partial replacement for Portland
cement clinker, makes concrete more durable and environmentally friendly.

3. ENVIRONMENT AND CONCRETE

3.1. CEMENT AND CONCRETE’S ROLE IN MEETING THE ENVIRONMENTAL

OBLIGATIONS

Cement and concrete may have an important role to play in enabling to fulfil its obligation to reduce
the total CO2 emission by 21 % compared to the 1990- level before 2012, as agreed at the
conference. This is because the volume of concrete consumption is large in Denmark. Approx. 1.5
tons of concrete per capita are produced annually. The CO2 emission related to concrete production,
inclusive of cement production, is between 0.1-0.2 tons per ton produced concrete. This
corresponds to a total quantity of CO2 emission of 0.6 - 1.2 m tons per year. The potential
environmental benefit to society of being able to build with green concrete is huge. It is realistic to
assume that technology can be developed which can halve the CO2 emission related to concrete
production. The somewhat soft demands in the form of environmental obligations result in rather
specific technical requirements for the industry - including the concrete industry. These technical
requirements include among others new concrete mix designs, new raw materials, and new
knowledge (practical experience and technical models) about the properties of the new raw
materials and concrete mix designs.

3.2. IMPACT ON ENVIRONMENT DUE TO CONCRETE

 About 0.9 tons of carbon dioxide is produced for every 1 ton of cement produced. Carbon
dioxide is one of the greenhouse gas which is responsible for global warming.
 Major ingredient in the production of concrete is aggregates without aggregates it is
impossible to produce concrete. Aggregates are mined from the rock mines and the rate with
which concrete is produced there will be significant reduction in naturally occurring
materials.
 Disposal of construction and demolition waste has become a major problem these days,
according to the report of Technology, Information, Forecasting, Assessment Council the
total amount of waste from construction industry is estimated to be 12 to 14.7 million tons
14
 per annum. Out of which 7.8 million tons are concrete and brick waste. Because of increasing
problems of these wastes many countries have started researches to use these materials as
source.

3.3. CEMENT PRODUCTION

Cement is considered one of the most important building materials around the world. It is mainly
used for the production of concrete. Concrete is a mixture of inert mineral aggregates, such as sand,
gravel, crushed stones, and cement. Cement consumption and production is closely related to
construction activity, and therefore to general economic activity. Cement is one of the most
produced materials around the world. Due to the importance of cement as a construction material,
and the geographic abundance of the main raw material, limestone, cement is produced in virtually
all countries. Every 1 ton of cement produced leads to about 0.9 tons of CO2 emissions and a typical
cubic yard (0.7643 m3) of concrete contains about 10% by weight of cement. A cubic yard of
concrete weighs about 2 tons, CO2 an emission from 1 ton of concrete varies between 0.05 to 0.13
tons. Approximately 95% of all CO2-emissions from a cubic yard of concrete are from cement
manufacturing. The infrastructure needs of developing countries have led to huge increases in
demand for Portland cement. According to the BAU scenario, cement consumption will grow at high
rates on world levels in the 2000–2030 periods. On a global level, the 1600 Mt of cement
consumption in 2000 will increase almost two-fold to 2880 Mt by 2030, implying an annual 2%
growth rate. Figure 2.1 represents the regional consumption of cement in 10-year intervals, where
1997 is given in the figure as the base year. The chart shows that most growth takes place in the
developing regions. However, the production of Portland cement, an essential constituent of
concrete, leads to the release of a significant amount of CO2 and other greenhouse gases (GHGs).

3.4. CONCRETE AND CO2

The concrete industry is known to leave an enormous environmental footprint on Planet Earth.
Together with the energy requirements, water consumption and generation of construction and
demolition waste, these factors contribute to the general appearance that concrete is not
particularly environmentally friendly or compatible with the demands of sustainable development.
One important issue is the use of environmental-friendly concrete ("green") concrete to enable
world-wide infrastructure-growth without increase in CO2- emission. It is necessary to look for
sustainable solutions for future concrete construction. The solution of this problem is use the green
concrete which eliminates the negative impact of the cement industry, minimizing environmental
impact, therefore, we should try to reduce the quantity of concrete used in buildings, to replace as
much Portland cement as possible by supplementary cementitious materials, especially those that
are by-products of industrial processes, such as fly ash, rice husk ash, palm oil fuel ash, slag, met
kaolin and silica fume, and use that concrete wisely.

15
 Fig
2.1

Cement consumption by region

4. USE OF RECYCLED AGGREGATES:

16
Construction and Demolition disposal has emerged as a major problem in all over the world. In USA,
approximately 135 million tons of Construction and Demolition waste is generated annually. Wastes’
arising from construction and demolition constitutes one of the largest streams within the European
Union and many other countries. It is now widely accepted that there is significant potential for
reclaiming and recycling demolished debris for use in value added applications to maximize
economic and environmental benefits. As a result recycling industries grew up. Many governments
throughout the world have now introduced various measures aimed at reducing the use of primary
aggregates and encouraging reuse and recycling, where it is technically, economically, or
environmentally acceptable. Recycling industries in many parts of the world converts low value
waste into secondary construction material such as aggregate grades, road materials and aggregate
fines. While accepting the need to promote the use of Recycled Concrete
Aggregate (RCA) in wider applications, it must be remembered that the aggregate for concrete
applications must meet the requirements set in relevant specifications for its particular use. The gap
between these interests has to be reduced in steps that are manageable and the use of RCA in
structural concrete has to be promoted gradually. Similarly considerable attention is required to the
control of waste processing and subsequent sorting, crushing, separating and grading the aggregate
for use of the concrete construction industry. In addition, there is an urgent need for legislative or
regulatory measures to implement sustainable Construction &
Demolition waste management strategy and encourage recycling for use in value added
applications. A number of different processes are possible for the crushing and sieving of
Construction & Demolition waste. Such material often contains foreign matter in the form of metals,
wood, hardboard, plastics, papers etc. Hence, a process scheme has to be adopted which removes
large pieces of these materials, mechanically or manually, before crushing and thorough cleaning of
the crushed product.
 It has been reported that there is a loss in compressive strength of concrete when recycled
aggregates are used for production of concrete as direct replacement to natural aggregates.
 Therefore it can be used as partial replacement to natural aggregates.
 The lower compressive strength recorded for concrete produced with recycled aggregate was
due to higher water cement ratio, which was required to facilitate mixing due to absorption
of the recycled fine particles.
 Recycled aggregate concrete will have higher water absorption than conventional concrete, it
is mainly due to adhered mortar with recycled aggregates.
 Recycled aggregate concrete will have slightly higher drying shrinkage; this is mainly because
of increase in water/cement ratio.
 Recycled aggregate concrete has better resistance to carbonation it is mainly due to porous
recycled aggregates and presence of old mortar attached to crushed stone aggregate.
 Recycled aggregate concrete provides better resistance to freezing and thawing than
concrete produced by mixing natural aggregates.
 The key engineering and durability properties of RCA concrete are similar to corresponding
Normal Aggregate Concrete, providing the mixes are of equivalent strength achieved through
adjustment in the w/c ratio
 Overall, the practical benefits resulting from the current work are not only on environmental
and economic fronts, but they could also provide the construction industry with technical
information on a marketable product, which is presently under- utilized.

5. USE OF QUARRY DUST:

17
Common river sand is expensive due to excessive cost of transportation from natural sources. Also
large-scale depletion of these sources creates environmental problems. As environmental
transportation and other constraints make the availability and use of river sand less attractive, a
substitute or replacement product for concrete industry needs to be found.
River sand is most commonly used fine aggregate in the production of concrete poses the problem
of acute shortage in many areas. Whose continued use has started posing serious problems with
respect to its availability, cost and environmental impact. In such a situation the Quarry rock dust
can be an economic alternative to the river sand. Quarry Rock dust can be defined as residue, tailing
or other non-voluble waste material after the extraction and processing of rocks to form fine
particles less than 4.75mm. Usually, Quarry Rock dust is used in large scale in the highways as a
surface finishing material and also used for manufacturing of hollow blocks and lightweight concrete
prefabricated Elements. Use of Quarry rock dust as a fine aggregate in concrete draws serious
attention of researchers and investigators. In the recent past good attempts have been made for the
successful utilization of various industrial by products (such as fly ash, silica fume, rice husk ash,
foundry waste) to save environmental pollution. In addition to this, an alternative source for the
potential replacement of natural aggregates in concrete has gained good attention. As a result
reasonable studies have been conducted to find the suitability of granite quarry dust in conventional
concrete. The utilization of Quarry rock dust which can be called as manufactured sand has been
accepted as a building material in the industrially advanced countries of the west for the past three
decades. As a result of sustained research and developmental works undertaken with respect to
increasing application of this industrial waste, the level of utilization of Quarry Rock Dust in the
industrialized nations like Australia, France, Germany and UK has been reached more than 60% of its
total production. The use of manufactured sand in India has not been much, when compared to
some advanced countries.
 The durability of quarry dust concrete under sulphate attack is higher compared to
conventional concrete.
 The durability of quarry dust concrete under acid action is also better than conventional
concrete.
 The effects of quarry dust on the elastic modulus property are good with conventional
concrete containing natural sand.
 The fine quarry dust tends to increase the amount of super plasticizers needed for the quarry
mixes in order to achieve the rheological properties.
Replacement of natural sand with Quarry Rock Dust, as full replacement in concrete is possible.
However, it is advisable to carry out trial casting with Quarry Rock Dust proposed to be used, in
order to arrive at the water content and mix proportion to suit the required workability levels and
strength requirement. However, more research studies are being made on Quarry Rock Dust
concrete necessary for the practical application of Quarry Rock Dust as Fine Aggregate.

6. TYPES OF SUPPLEMENTAL CEMENTITIOUS

MATERIALS IN GREEN CONCRETE
18
Some supplemental cementitious materials (SCMs) are available in large quantities that can be used
to replace Portland cement in concrete. These include fly ash, ground granulated blast-furnace slag
(GGBS), silica fume, natural pozzolans, rice-husk ash etc.

6.1 Fly ash

Fly ash or pulverized fuel ash (PFA) is a fine residue resulting from the burning of powdered coal at
high temperatures. The most common sources of fly ash are electric power-generating stations. Fly
ash has become the predominant pozzolan in use throughout the world due to performance and
economic factors. Development of fly ash as a constituent of Portland cement concrete was initiated
in the U.S. during the early 1930s.The main constituent of fly ash is silica. Glassy non crystalline
forms of silica, alumina, and iron are principally responsible for the pozzolanic reaction with calcium
hydroxide (lime). In concrete, lime results from the hydration of Portland cement. Other
components of fly ash are calcium, magnesium, sulfur, potassium, and sodium. Class C fly ashes
contain less silica, alumina, and iron than the Class F ashes and usually have elevated levels of
calcium. The closer view of fly ash particles has been shown in figure 6.1.

Figure 6.1: Fly ash particles viewed at 1000x magnification

(Source: ACI Education Bulletin E3-01)

Fly ash is an important pozzolan, which has a number of advantages compared with regular Portland
cement. Those advantages of using PFA in concrete have been given below.
Reduced Water demand and improved Workability- Fly ash normally results in improved
workability. The reduction in water requirement incorporation PFA in cement is due to the spherical
shaped particles and their smooth surface which also roll in fresh paste thereby reduce the frictional
resistance of cement particles and improve the fluidity of the mixture.
Higher long-term Strength gain: Fly ash concrete normally results in lower early strength but it
continues to combine with free lime, increasing compressive strength over time. Many concrete
mixtures containing class C fly ash, up to 35%, have similar 28-days strength gain characteristics as
plain cement concrete

19
 Figure 6.2: Strength gain of Plain cement concrete and Fly ash concrete

Properly designed concrete mixtures containing fly ash can exhibit higher ultimate compressive
strength than Portland cement concrete mixtures which has been illustrated in figure 6.2. Portland
cement continues to hydrate and, the rate of strength gain typically slows down after about 28 days.
Fly ash concretes, however, continue to gain strength beyond 28 days at a rate greater than plain
Portland cement concrete as a result of continued pozzolanic reaction with available calcium
hydroxide inside the concrete. This effect can be seen in the figure-6.2. Using 28-day strengths for
comparison, over time, plain Portland cement concrete generally gains about 30% additional
strength whereas Portland cement/ fly ash concrete can gain 50 to 100% additional strength.
Reduced Heat of Hydration: The heat of hydration is lower, which makes fly ash a popular cement
substitute for mass structures. The pozzolanic reaction between fly ash and lime generates less heat,
resulting in reduced thermal cracking.
Decreased Permeability: Studies have shown that permeability of fly ash concrete is substantially
lower than plain Portland cement concrete. This effect is due to the pore refinement that occurs as a
result of long-term pozzolanic action of fly ash. Reduced permeability of fly ash concrete can
decrease the rates (of entry into concrete) of water, corrosive chemicals, oxygen, and carbon
dioxide.
Increased Durability: Durability of concrete refers to its ability to resist physical forces such as
repetitive loading, freezing-thawing, abrasion, and chemical attack such as soluble sulfates.
Replacing Portland cement with Class F fly ash lowers the tricalcium aluminate content of the
concrete and makes it more resistant to sulfates. Fly ash concrete may slow down the rate of attack
from acids (because permeability is reduced). Moreover, corrosion of reinforcing steel is also
resisted due to lower permeability of fly ash as the intrusion of chlorides which causes the corrosion
is reduced. However, Class F fly ash is also effective in reducing destructive expansion from alkali-
silica reaction by consuming alkalis in pozzolanic reaction.
Reduced Efflorescence: Fly ash chemically binds free lime and salts that can create efflorescence.
Reduced Shrinkage: The largest contributor to drying shrinkage is water content. The lubricating
action of fly ash reduces water demand and as a consequence reduces drying shrinkage.

20
6.2 Ground Granulated Blast-Furnace Slag
Ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBFS) is obtained by quenching molten iron slag (a by-
product of iron and steel making) from a blast furnace in water or steam, to produce a glassy,
granular product that is then dried and ground into a fine powder. The use of granulated blast-
furnace slag in concrete has increased considerably in recent years, and this trend is expected to
continue. The worldwide production of granulated blast-furnace slag, however, is only about 25
million tons per year. The following figure 3 shows the forms of ground granulated blast furnace slag
(GGBFS).
Generally, the comparison of ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBFS) with Portland cement
concrete can be summarized as follows:
• Concrete with Type IS cement (Pozzolana cement) or with higher dosages of GGBFS added at the
mixer usually will have lower heat of hydration;
• Concretes containing slag may show somewhat longer time of setting than straight Portland
cement mixtures, particularly for moderate and higher dosages and at lower ambient temperatures;
• Concrete with Type IS cement gains strength more slowly, tending to have lower strength at early
ages and equal or higher strength at later ages;
• Increasing slag dosage is associated with lower permeability in concrete;
• Concrete containing GGBFS dosages greater than 35% by mass of cementitious material, have
demonstrated an improvement in the resistance to sulfate attack, as well as suppression of alkali-
aggregate expansion;

6.3 Silica Fume (SF)

Silica fume, a highly pozzolanic material, is a by-product produced when silicon metal or Ferro-
silicon alloys are smelted using electric arc furnaces. This finely divided, glassy powder results from
the condensation of silicon oxide gas. Silica fume is composed primarily of silicon dioxide (SiO2).
Particles are about 100 times smaller than the typical particles of Portland cement. Silica fume is
typically used in quantities ranging from 7 to 12% of the mass of the cementitious material.
Worldwide production is estimated to be about 2 million tones. It is generally specified for
specialized applications, such as structures exposed to aggressive chemicals. Its primary use is to
enhance the durability of concrete by making it less permeable.
Silica fume addition benefits concrete in two ways. First, the minute particles physically decrease the
void space in the cement matrix—this phenomenon is known as packing. Second, silica fume is an
extremely reactive pozzolan. Silica fume is added to concrete to increase compressive strength or to
improve durability. Properly proportioned silica fume concrete can achieve very high early and
ultimate compressive strengths. Ready-mixed concrete with compressive strength of nearly 135 MPa
(20,000 psi) has been produced in the U.S. using silica fume combined with other admixtures. Silica
fume enhances durability primarily by decreasing the permeability of concrete. With its reduced
permeability, silica-fume concrete has been extensively used in applications where limiting the entry
of chlorides is essential, such as in bridge decks, parking structures, and marine structures. In
addition, it enhances the freeze-thaw durability, the vibration damping capacity, the abrasion
resistance, the bond strength with steel rebars, the chemical attack resistance and the corrosion
resistance of reinforcing steel. Furthermore, it decreases the alkali-silica reactivity, the drying
shrinkage, creep rate, coefficient of thermal expansion.

6.4 Rice Husk Ash (RHA)

Rice husk ash is not yet commercially available. Along with fly ash and granulated blast-furnace slag,
rice husk ash, when it becomes commercially available, will be the most significant supplementary
cementitious material for use as a partial replacement for Portland cement in concrete to reduce

21
CO2 emissions. Rice covers 1% of the earth‘s surface and is a primary source of food for billions of
people. Globally, approximately 600 million tons of rice paddy are produced each year. On average
20% of the rice paddy is husk, giving an annual total production of 120 million tones. In the majority
of rice producing countries much of the husk produced from the processing of rice is either burnt or
dumped as waste. Rice husk is an external covering of rice, which is generated during dehusking of
paddy rice. The RHA is rich in silica content, obtained by burning rice husk to remove volatile organic
carbon such as cellulose and lignin. The silica present in the ash is amorphous or crystalline. The
burning method and the fineness of the particles are two major factors that primarily affect the
reactivity of RHA. The ash gradually loses its pozzolanicity as the temperature of incinerator is
increased at a given fineness.

6.5 Palm oil fuel ash (POFA) Palm oil fuel ash (POFA) is produced as a result of the burning of palm
oil shell and husk (in equal volume) as fuel in palm oil mill boiler to produce steam for electricity
generation and palm oil extraction process. Both physical properties and chemical analysis indicated
that POFA is a pozzolanic material. Various researchers reported that POFA has pozzolanic properties
and highly reactive and can be used as a unique cement replacement for building construction
materials if the POFA is ground to reduce the particle size (GPOFA), the median particle size is
reduced to 10 μm.

6.6 Met kaolin (MK) Met kaolin is refined kaolin clay that is fired (calcined) under carefully
controlled conditions to create an amorphous alumina silicate that is reactive in concrete. Replacing
Portland cement with 8% - 20% (by weight) met kaolin produces a concrete mix which exhibits
favorable engineering properties, including: the filler effect, the acceleration of OPC hydration, and
the pozzolanic reaction.

7. WHY GREEN CONCRETE?

Huge impact on sustainability
– Most widely used material on Earth
•30% of all materials flows on the planet
– 70% of all materials flows in the built environment.
• > 2.1 billion tons per annum.
• >15 billion tons poured each year.
• Over 2 tons per person per annum

Discussions with the Ministry of Environment and Energy, Environmental Protection Agency have
resulted in the following priorities regarding environmental impacts relevant to concrete.

High priority
CO2
Resource (water)
Fossil fuel (oil, coal)
Substances harmful to health or environment (chemicals, heavy metals)

Medium priority
SO2 and NOX
Local supply of resources such as sand, stone, gravel, chalk and lime
Resource (recycling of waste)
22
Low priority
Volatile Organic Compounds (only relevant to the working environment)

Green concrete has manifold advantages over the conventional concrete. Since it uses the recycled
aggregates and materials, it reduces the extra load in landfills and mitigates the wastage of
aggregates. Thus, the net CO2 emissions are reduced. The reuse of materials also contributes
intensively to economy. Since the waste materials like aggregates from a nearby area and fly ash
from a nearby power plant are not much expensive and also transport costs are minimal. Green
concrete can be considered elemental to sustainable development since it is eco-friendly itself.
Green concrete is being widely used in green building practices. It also helps the green buildings
achieve LEED and Golden Globe certifications. Use of fly ash in the concrete also increases its
workability and many other properties like durability to an appreciable extent. One of the practices
to manufacture green concrete involves reduction of amount cement in the mix, this practice helps
in reducing the consumption of cement overall. The use waste materials also solve the problem of
disposing the excessive amount industrial wastes.

 Much change is not required for the preparation of green concrete compared to
conventional concrete.
 Reduces environmental pollution.
 Saves energy, emissions and waste water.
 Have good thermal and acid resistance.
 Compressive and split tensile strength is better with some materials compared to
conventional concrete.
 Reduces the consumption of cement overall.
 Green concrete is economical compared to conventional concrete.

7.1. REDUCTION OF CARBON DIOXIDE EMISSION THROUGH GREEN CONCRETE

One approach to help achieve higher infrastructure sustainability is the development and use of
new materials, deliberately designed with sustainability as a primary goal, in terms of improved
social well-being, increasing economic prosperity, and reduced environmental impact. This can be
accomplished through many methods, such as the replacement of dwindling raw materials with
suitable waste products, the development of improved materials to replace less sustainable
materials, or the use of new materials to extend infrastructure service life. Reductions will be
achieved not only as a result of modifications to existing cement production methods, and the
solution to this environmental problem is not to replace concrete with other materials, but to
reduce the environmental impact of cement. A reduction in cement use is desirable in terms of
energy and this can be achieved by using other cementitious materials or admixtures. There are
many steps to remove problems that affect sustainability, as well as to reach green concrete,
including the use of supplemental cementitious materials (SCMs) to reduce cement consumption,
through the use of lower amounts of cement and reasonable amounts of supplementary
cementitious material (SCM). Every ton of pozzolanna effectively saves a ton of cement there are
often engineering constraints limiting the percentage of cement that can be replaced? In the past,
these limits have typically been in the range of 10-15%, but more recently, structures containing
high volumes of pozzolanic materials can be seen. Incorporating industrial by-products/pozzolanic
23
materials is becoming an active area of research because of their improved properties such as
workability, long-term strength and durability.

7.2. ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS TO USING GREEN CONCRETE

Geopolymer concrete, or green concrete, is part of a movement to create construction materials

that have a reduced impact on the environment. It is made from a combination of an inorganic
polymer and 25 to 100 percent industrial waste. Here is a list of 4 benefits to using green concrete
for your next project.

a. Lasts Longer
Green concrete gains strength faster and has a lower rate of shrinkage than concrete made only
from Portland cement. Structures built using green concrete have a better chance of surviving a fire
(it can withstand temperatures of up to 2400 degrees on the Fahrenheit scale). It also has a greater
resistance to corrosion which is important with the effect pollution has had on the environment
(acid rain greatly reduces the longevity of traditional building materials). All of those factors add up
to a building that will last much longer than one made with ordinary concrete. Similar concrete
mixtures have been found in ancient Roman structures and this material was also used in the
Ukraine in the 1950s and 1960s. Over 40 years later those Ukrainian buildings are still standing. If
buildings aren't constantly having to be rebuilt, fewer construction materials are needed and the
impact to the environment during the process of making those materials is reduced.

b. Uses Industrial Waste

Instead of a 100 percent Portland cement mixture, green concrete uses anywhere from 25 to 100
percent fly ash. Fly ash is a byproduct of coal combustion and is gathered from the chimneys of
industrial plants (such as power plants) that use coal as a power source. There are copious amounts
of this industrial waste product. Hundreds of thousands of acres of land are used to dispose of fly
ash. A large increase in the use of green concrete in construction will provide a way to use up fly ash
and hopefully free many acres of land.

c. Reduces Energy Consumption

If you use less Portland cement and more fly ash when mixing concrete, then you will use less
energy. The materials that are used in Portland cement require huge amounts of coal or natural gas
to heat it up to the appropriate temperature to turn them into Portland cement. Fly ash already
exists as a byproduct of another industrial process so you are not expending much more energy to
use it to create green concrete.

d. Reduces CO2 Emissions

In order to make Portland cement–one of the main ingredients in ordinary cement– pulverized
limestone, clay, and sand are heated to 1450 degrees C using natural gas or coal as a fuel. This
process is responsible for 5 to 8 percent of all carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions worldwide. The
manufacturing of green concrete releases has up to 80 percent fewer CO2 emissions. As a part of a
global effort to reduce emissions, switching over completely to using green concrete for
construction will help considerably.

24
7.3REDUCING ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT THROUGH GREEN CONCRETE

The World Earth Summits in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in1992, and Kyoto, Japan, in 1997, made it
abundantly clear that reducing the rate of greenhouse gas emissions is essential for sustainable
development. While greenhouse gases of concern include nitrous oxide (NOx) and methane (CH4),
their amounts are relatively small compared with that of the primary greenhouse gas, carbon
dioxide (CO2). As a consequence, the developed countries are considering regulations on the
emission of these gases. The greenhouse gases allow high-frequency heat waves from the sun to
penetrate the atmosphere and heat the surface of earth, but they do not allow the low-frequency
heat radiation from earth‘s surface to escape back into space. The increased quantity of greenhouse
gases in the atmosphere increases the temperature of earth‘s surface. A small increase in the
amount of greenhouse gas causes an enhanced response in the global temperature rise. As the
manufacture of Portland cement contributes significantly to the CO2 emissions, this research paper
mainly discusses the increased use of large volumes of supplementary cementing materials in the
concrete industry and its role in reducing this greenhouse gas emission.
Cement, one chief component of concrete, is a major industrial commodity that is manufactured
commercially in over 120 countries Mixed with aggregates and water, cement forms the ubiquitous
concrete which is used in the construction of buildings, roads, bridges and other structures. Cement
is manufactured from a combination of naturally occurring minerals - calcium (60% by weight)
mainly from limestone, silicon (20%), aluminum (10%), iron (10%) and small amounts of other
ingredients and heated in a large kiln to over 1500° C (2700° F) to convert the raw materials into
clinker. The cement industry contributes to carbon dioxide emissions in two ways. Roughly half of
the emitted CO2 originates from the fuel and half originates from the chemical reaction. An indirect
and significantly smaller source of CO2 is from consumption of electricity assuming that the
electricity is generated from fossil fuels. Minor amounts of other greenhouse gases NOx and CH4 are
also released into the atmosphere.
Ordinary Portland cement results from the calcinations of limestone and silica in the following
reaction.
Limestone + silica (1500 °C) = Portland cement + CO2
[5CaCO3 + 2SiO2 → (3CaO, SiO2) (2CaO, SiO2) + 5CO2]

The following table 1 shows the amount of CO2 emitted from the production of one ton Portland
cement in detail.

Table 2: Indicative CO2 emission from production of 1 ton Portland cement

Source Indicative CO2 emitted Comment

Chemical composition 500Kg The major source of CO2 and

(Breakdown of limestone) intrinsically unavoidable

Fuel 350kg Use of waste as fuel can benefit

sustainability
Electricity 80kg The CO2 is normally emitted
offsite, at a power station
Total 930kg

According to the International Energy Authority World Energy outlook 1995, the worldwide CO2
production from all sources was 21.6 billion tons of which the worldwide production of cement
accounts for almost 7 % of the total world CO2 production. Most importantly, cement industry is the
25
second fast growing source of CO2 emissions, and demand for concrete is predicted to double over
the next decade (Battelle, 2002).
There are a number of ways that the cement and concrete industry can contribute toward reducing
CO2 emissions. These include:
(i) Using less Portland cement.
(ii) Using more supplementary cementitious materials.
(iii) Incorporating recycled aggregates in concrete.
(iv) Replacing high carbon fuels by low carbon fuels.
(v) Where possible, specifying strength acceptance criteria at 56 or 91 days instead of 28 days.
A reduction in cement use is desirable in energy terms and this can be achieved by using other
cementitious materials. These cementitious materials have to show comparable or better properties
and costs compared with the existing ordinary Portland cement. The cement industry, realizing the
need to reduce carbon emissions, began an initiative to bring down the industry‘s contribution to
greenhouse gases. There are many steps to get rid of the problems that affect the sustainability as
well as to reach the green concrete, including use of supplemental cementitious materials (SCMs) to
reduce cement consumption, through the use of lower amounts of cement and reasonable amounts
of supplemental cementitious material (SCM). The proportion of 'pure' cement in a cement based
mixture can be reduced by replacing some of it with other pozzolanic material (i.e. material which
has the ability to act as a cement like binder). Industrial wastes including fly ash, ground granulated
blast furnace slag (GGBFS), silica fume and rice husk ash all have the combined benefit of being
pozzolana that would otherwise be destined for landfill. In addition to using pozzolanic materials as
supplementary materials to reduce the environmental impact that resulting from the use of
concrete, there are another various reasons, particularly for reducing the amount of cement
required for making concrete which lead to a reduction in construction cost. As well as the benefits
from using pozzolanic materials include reductions in energy consumption, greenhouse gas releases
and other pollutant emissions from initial mining of limestone, calcination and grinding

Table 3: Calculated environmental impacts for 1 ton of concrete

Impact 100% PC 50% GGBS 30% Fly Ash

Greenhouse gas (CO2) 142 kg (100%) 85.4 kg (60%) 118 kg (83%)

Primary energy use 1,070 MJ (100%) 760 MJ (71%) 925MJ (86%)

Mineral extraction 1,048 kg (100%) 965 kg (92%) 1007 kg (96%)

From table 3, it is apparent that replacing 50% of the Portland cement with ground granulated blast
furnace slag (GGBFS) results in 40% reduction in the CO2 emissions and 8% reduction in mineral
extraction. Moreover, it is evident that replacing 30% of Portland cement with fly ash causes 17%
reduction in the CO2 emissions and 4% reduction in mineral extraction. If a country can decrease
cement production by 50% through replacement of cement by fly ash, slag or other supplementary
cementing materials, the country would reduce its CO2 emissions for the production of cement by
about 50%.

26
 8. PRODUCTION OF GREEN CONCRETE
Four ways to produce green concrete are being investigated.
1. To increase the use of conventional residual products, i.e. fly ash in large quantities.
2. To use residual products from the concrete industry, i.e. stone dust (from crushing of
Aggregate) and concrete slurry (from washing of mixers and other equipment).
3. To use residual products from other industries not traditionally used in concrete, i.e. Fly ash
from bio fuels and sewage sludge incineration ash (from sewage treatment plants).
4. To use new types of cement with reduced environmental impact (mineralized cement,
limestone addition, waste-derived fuels).

9. TYPES OF OTHER GREEN MATERIALS THAT CAN BE

USED IN PRODUCING GREEN/SUSTAINABLE
CONCRETE
9.1 Recycled concrete Construction and demolition waste (C&D waste) constitutes a major portion
of all generated solid waste. With the increasing scarcity of suitable aggregate, construction industry
has find ways of substituting recycled concrete aggregate (RCA) for natural aggregate. The technical
problems of incorporating RCA into new concrete mixes are well known and have been addressed
through research. Recycled aggregates have generally lower densities than the original material
used, Although RCA is often considered with suspicion, it may be quite acceptable for many
applications, and if higher performance specifications are to be met, a blend of virgin and recycled
aggregate may make economic and technical sense.

9.2 Post-consumer glass Post-consumer glass is another example of a suitable aggregate for
concrete. The only technical problem, namely the alkali–silica reaction (or ASR) and other potential
problems can be solved. By exploiting the zero water absorption of glass, its high hardness and good
abrasion resistance, its excellent durability and chemical resistance, and in particular the aesthetic
potential of colored glass, true value is added to the glass. Making commodity products such as
paving stones economically viable is a difficult proposition.

9.3 Other recycled materials In the United States, 100 million tons of sand is used in foundries for
the production of steel and other metals. Most of such foundry sands are discarded and available to
be recycled. Naik et al. have shown that such foundry sands are suitable for the production of
concrete. Another potential source for concrete production is dredged material. The Port Authority
of New York and New Jersey needs to dredge about three million cubic meter of sediment each year
to keep shipping lanes open and also to deepen them to accommodate the larger new vessels. Since
dumping in the open ocean is no longer an option, the material has to be deposited in engineered
landfills at great cost, because much of it is highly contaminated with heavy metals, dioxins, PCBs,
oils, etc. Similar problems are faced by many other world ports. Treatment methods are already
available, which render the material suitable for concrete production, because the heavy metals can
be encapsulated chemically such that they cannot leach out. Further research is needed before this
technology can be applied in real practice. Recycled carpet fibers have also been proposed to
replace virgin fibers in fiber-reinforced concrete. Millions of tons of old carpets need to be disposed
of each year, constituting another sizeable fraction of solid waste. Since carpet fibers are typically

27
made of nylon, recycled fibers have been shown to improve some mechanical properties of
concrete.

10. SUITABILITY OF GREEN CONCRETE IN

STRUCTURES
a) Reduce the dead weight of a façade from 5 tons to about 3.5 tons.
b) Reduces crane age load, allow handling, lifting flexibility with lighter weight.
c) Good thermal and fire resistance, sound insulation than the traditional Granite rock.
d) Improve damping resistance of building, speed of construction, shorten overall construction
period
e) There are numerous advantages in usage of Green concrete in fresh stage such as Enhances
the rheology of the mix, workability, Deficiency in sand is corrected by providing sufficient
fines, which makes the concrete ideal for pumping, No bleeding & No cold joints
f) There are numerous advantages in usage of Green concrete in hardened stage such it,
Increases the durability as lower permeability is achieved, Improves the quality of cover to
the reinforcement, Protection against sulphate attack and chloride penetration, Safeguard
against Alkali-Silica reaction, Decreased thermal cracks due to lower heat of hydration.
g) It helps nation by Substantial saving in power, Decrease in emission of CO2 – pollution free
environment, If all the fly ash generated each year were used in producing concrete, the
reduction of carbon dioxide released from cement production would be equivalent to
eliminating 25% of the world’s vehicle. By reducing consumption of OPC, the rate of
depletion of mineral resources (National Resources) required for production of cement can
be reduced. If SCMs are used the problem of disposal will be reduced, thus reducing the
environmental hazards and will clear many acres of land used for disposal.

11. POTENTIAL BARRIERS IN IMPLEMENTING

“GREEN” CONCRETE

Despite the potential benefits from using “green” raw materials in concrete production, there are
barriers to the wide application of potential SCMs and AAs. Generally speaking, the barriers exist in
concrete properties, cost effectiveness, and industry perception as explained below:

 Concrete properties: Using waste streams as concrete ingredients could improve certain
types of concrete properties while undermining some others. For example, Yang et al. (2005)
found that using crushed oyster shell maintained or improved the compressive strength but
decreased the workability. The chemical reaction between silica-rich glass and the alkali was
a major concern when using glass in concrete (Batayneh et al., 2007). Concrete containing
plastic aggregate decreased compressive and tensile strengths (Siddique et al., 2008). In
addition, there generally lacks quantitative data on properties of concrete using waste
materials (Duxson et al., 2007).

28
  Cost effectiveness: Cost effectiveness would be the driving force for the industry to
implement “green” concrete. Recycling and reuse of wastes requires extra labor and energy
input. Batayneh et al. (2007) suggested that the cost between crushing wastes (e.g., glass,
plastic and RCA) and supplying prime aggregate (gravel) should be compared in project
management. Similarly, Meyer (2009) recommended comparing the transportation cost
between RCA from construction & demolition debris and virgin aggregate.
 Industry perception/practice: The construction and building product industry is conservative
in nature due to the fear of product failure, which becomes a barrier to the utilization of
waste materials as pointed out by Duxson et al. (2007). They also indicated the existing
negative perceptions of the industry on non-conventional practice in concrete production,
which may not be always true. For example, fly ash-contained cement was perceived to have
the poor freeze-thaw resistance. Also, the industry tends to follow existing building codes
and standards and is resistant to new technologies (Duxson et al., 2007).

Therefore, it is necessary to advance the understanding of concrete properties when using “green”
raw materials, reduce potential cost in the recycling and reuse process, improve industry standards,
and educate the industry about new technologies

29
 12. CONCLUSION

A sustainable industrial growth will influence the cement and concrete industry in many respects as
the construction industry has environmental impact due to high consumption of energy and other
resources. So the important issue is the use of environmental-friendly concrete or ‘green ‘concrete
to enable world-wide infrastructure-growth without increase in CO2 emission. Environmental issues
associated with the CO2 emissions – from the production of Portland cement, energy and resource
conservation considerations and high cost of Portland cement plants - demand that supplementary
cementing materials should be used in increasing quantities to replace Portland cement in concrete.
Another, probably even more important issue, is the use of more environmental friendly structural
designs incorporating more environmental-friendly maintenance or repair strategies which requires
less use of resources, reduce CO2-emissions at all phases during the entire service life of a concrete
structure. So we need high tech to lower the environmental impact of concrete production.
Additionally we need to combine the efforts in international projects to benefit the most from the
work performed in the field of green concrete. It is hoped that the concrete industry will show
leadership and resolve and make contributions to the sustainable development of the industry in
the 21st century by adopting new technologies to reduce the emission of greenhouse gases, and
thus contribute toward meeting the goals and objectives of the 1997 Kyoto Protocol. Finally green
concrete concept cannot stand alone. It needs to be backed up by a sustainable design concept
taking into account the full life-cycle and also the aspects of energy performance of the building and
maintenance. Concrete is one of the few building materials offering decades of practically
maintenance-free service life but it requires proper design to meet the requirements of the users
over a full life-cycle. Therefore, we still have a job to do implementing sustainable design concepts in
order to serve the society.

30
 REFERENCES

i. [1] B.L.Rajput and Indrasen Singh, “Green Concrete- An

Overview”, Indian Highways Journal, February 2012.
ii. [2] M. Shahul Hammed and A.S.S Sekar. “Properties of
Green Concrete Containing Quarry Dust and Marble Sludge Powder
as
iii. Fine Aggregate”, APRN Journal of Engineering and
Applied Sciences, June 2009.
iv. [3] M.C.Limbachiya, A. Koulouris, J.J.Roberts and
A.N.Fried, “Performance of Recycled Aggregate Concrete”, RILEM
v. Publications SARL, 2004.
vi. [4] R. Ilangovana, N. Mahendrana, K. Nagamanib,
“Strength and Durability Properties of Concrete containing Quarry
Rock Dust
vii. as Fine Aggregate”, APRN Journal of Engineering and
Applied Sciences, October 2008.
viii. [5] Sivakumar and Prakash. M. “Characteristic studies on
the Mechanical Properties of Quarry Dust addition in conventional
ix. concrete”, Journal of Civil Engineering and Construction
Technology, October 2011.

31