Energy Efficiency and Carbon Reduction Initiatives Dominate the Agenda of Participants in the Construction Materials Industry

Industrial wastes are now being converted into basic building raw materials. Combinations of high-performance material are increasingly utilized as suitable alternatives to conventional raw materials. The environmental aspect, juxtaposed with the possible stringent regulations of various governing councils, has boosted the development of novel materials for building construction applications.

Environmental standards and energy-efficient ratings greatly influence modern design and product selection, ensuring sizeable reductions in maintenance costs, lower carbon emissions, and optimal usage of electricity. The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) ratings and other related green building scoring systems aim to address these issues and trigger significant environmental improvements.

New analysis from Frost & Sullivan (technicalinsights.frost.com), Strategic Developments in Construction Materials Industry, finds that several opportunities are available in energy reduction and environmental benefits associated with the advancements in materials technology in the construction materials sector. Specifically, the demand for multi-functional characteristics will be the key to increase sustainability in this domain.

If you are interested in a virtual brochure for this study, please send an email to Sarah Saatzer, Corporate Communications, at sarah.saatzer[.]frost.com, with your full name, company name, job title, telephone number, company email address, company website, city, state and country.

"The need for higher energy efficiency for buildings is a prominent factor spearheading growth in the construction materials industry," notes Technical Insights Industry Analyst Rajaram Vijayan. "It has been observed that the consumer demand for niche buildings is on the upswing due to the energy and environmental benefits associated with them in addition to the various subsidies provided by the government."

Although market prospects look upbeat, there are some challenges curtailing forward momentum. Production costs remain high for a majority of construction materials, such as glass, cement, steel, composites and others due to the high energy requirement and numerous environmental concerns surrounding their manufacturing process. As the construction materials domain is highly cost competitive, manufacturers are engaged in developing multi-functional materials using efficient waste recycle and waste reduction techniques.

Novel designs must offer enhanced durability and aesthetics with reduced maintenance and repair costs to be successful. It is imperative for manufacturers to ratchet down lifecycle costs and provide enhanced performance with good service life. Life cycle assessment (LCA) studies have proven that energy for heating, cooling, transportation, electrical and mechanical work along with water, repair and maintenance are the prime factors responsible for reduced efficiency. Hence, optimum resource management needs to be in place for lower embodied energy of products.

"The cement industry is a high volume production industry utilizing several million tons of alternate fuels and raw materials on an annual basis, thereby accounting for high carbon dioxide emissions," says Vijayan. "Consequently, even slight alterations in the production process will entail large scale measures to reduce the environmental footprint in this industry."

Portland cement clinkers could be replaced with industrial wastes such as carbon dioxide, fly ash and others to create environmental benefits for concrete usage. However, significant research initiatives need to be undertaken to optimize the commercial viability of such substituted products within this volume- and cost-competitive industry. There is a huge potential for application of automated manufacturing processes to reduce the dependence on manual labor and control emissions in conventional production facilities.

Strategic Developments in Construction Materials Industry, a part of the Technical Insights subscription, provides an analysis of the major drivers and challenges involved in the adoption of technologies in the construction materials arena. Further, this research service includes detailed technology analysis and industry trends evaluated following extensive interviews with market participants.

Technical Insights is an international technology analysis business that produces a variety of technical news alerts, newsletters, and research services.

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Rapid Set Offers a Greener Hydraulic Cement

According to recent studies, Rapid Set® is a greener hydraulic cement primarily because it has a much smaller carbon footprint than portland cement. In its manufacturing process, it generates far less carbon dioxide (CO2)[i].

There are a number of reasons for the exceptional “green” characteristics of Rapid Set® cement and concrete. In the case of cement production practice, the emissions of carbon dioxide gas result from two aspects of the high-temperature manufacturing process.

First, in the cement kiln, the raw materials (limestone, clay, etc.) decompose, releasing large amounts of CO2.

Second, the combustion of fuel (generally coal) with air in a cement kiln, also releases carbon dioxide, much the same as carbon dioxide gas is emitted from the exhaust pipe of a vehicle that is burning gasoline or diesel fuel.

In the case of portland cement, approximately 40% of emitted CO2 results from the burning of the fuel in a kiln, and 60% comes from the decarbonation of the limestone.[ii] A recent estimate for carbon dioxide emissions for portland cement production is 0.9 pounds of CO2 per pound of ground portland cement.[iii]

An analysis of Rapid Set® manufacturing raw materials composition, pyroprocessing techniques, and cement grinding has established a baseline emission rate of 0.61 pounds of CO2 per pound of Rapid Set® cement produced, broken down as follows:[iv]

Only 0.21 pounds of CO2 per pound of cement from fuel (coal) combustion because its burning temperature is approximately 220°C lower than that of portland processes.

Only 0.40 pounds of CO2 per pound of cement from thermal decarbonation of calcium carbonate (limestone).

Rapid Set® also reduces the impact of cement production on the environment:

•  The reduced burning zone temperature needed to form Rapid Set® clinker has the additional advantage of producing lesser amounts of smog-producing oxides of nitrogen.
• The softer and more friable nature of Rapid Set® clinker also lends itself to much easier grinding and a lower grinding mill energy consumption.
• Hardened Rapid Set® concrete is much more durable than portland cement concrete, and has a particularly greater resistance to sulfate or other types of chemical attack. Due to its very rapid strength producing ettringite formation, lower porosity, and subsequent internal self-desiccation, Rapid Set® is extremely impervious to carbonation, freeze-thaw susceptibility, and acid rain leaching. Thus, it has a proven record of field performance that exceeds the normal useful life span of portland cement concrete.
• A number of recycled products, such as waste calcium sulfate from chemical plants and recycled aluminum products (up to 20% by weight of the raw materials) enter into its composition. This improves the sustainability of the cement.
• Rapid Set® cement and concrete provides lower emission of green house gases, lower emissions of smog-producing nitrogen oxides, increased lifespan leading to lower frequency of repairs or replacement, and improved sustainability through the use of recycled raw materials.

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[i] Klemm Report 2008

[ii] Green in Practice: Technical Brief 102, 2008 PCA Publication, http://www.concretethinker.com/papers.aspx?DocID=312

  

[iii] Manufacturing Fact Sheet, 2008 PCA Briefing Kit Publication, http://www.cement.org/Briefingkit/manu_facts.asp

  

[iv] Klemm Report 2008