GREEN CONCRETE

Marianne Tange Jepsen

M.Sc.
Concrete Centre, Danish Technological Institute
Gregersensvej, P.O. Box 141, DK-2630 Taastrup, Denmark
E-mail: [email protected]

ABSTRACT

A workshop about green concrete was held in Reykjavik on

August 5, 1999. The article concerns the two introductory
presentations about the Danish Centre for Ressource Saving
Concrete Structures and the discussion afterwards: What is
"sustainability", what should be the ambitions for further research
and development, and how can we promote the use of green
concrete in the Nordic countries?

Key words: Green concrete.

1. INTRODUCTION

On August 5, 1999, a workshop about green concrete was held in Reykjavik. The workshop was
arranged as a part of the XVII Symposium on Nordic Concrete Research in Reykjavik, August 4-
6, 1999. The workshop was chaired by Christian Munch-Petersen, Danish Technological
Institute.

The workshop began with two introductory presentations by Jesper Sand Damtoft, Aalborg
Portland, and Mette Glavind, Danish Technological Institute, who are both involved in the
Danish project Centre for Resource Saving Concrete Structures (in short: Centre for Green
Concrete). This article contains a brief summary of the two presentations (a comprehensive
summary is given in /1/ and /2/) and a report of the subsequent discussion.

2. DANISH CENTRE FOR GREEN CONCRETE/ Jesper S. Damtoft

In comparison to most other building materials, concrete is an environment-friendly material.

However, since concrete is produced in such large amounts, the production still causes a heavy
environmental impact. The Brite Euram project TESCOP regarding cleaner technology for
concrete products has revealed that the most important targets are CO2 reduction and reduced
consumption of scarce resources (like fossile fuel) and harmful substances, e.g. those in water
reducing agents.

In Denmark, partners from all sectors related to concrete production, among these aggregate,
cement and concrete producers, a contractor, a consulting engineering company, Danish
Technological Institute, the technical universities and the Danish Road Directorate have formed
the Centre for Green Concrete. The aim of the centre is to develop new green types of concrete
and green structural solutions. The centre works on five development projects to achieve the
target:

• Concrete with minimal clinker content

• Concrete with green types of cement and binders
• Concrete with inorganic residual products
• Performance and maintenance of green concrete structures
• Green construction technical solutions and construction technical solutions for green types
of concrete.

3. CONCRETE WITH INORGANIC, RESIDUAL PRODUCTS/ Mette Glavind

While the first presentation could have had the headline “Green concrete - why?”, the second
presentation answered the question “Green concrete – how?” by outlining the specific work in
one of the above mentioned development projects. Here the aim of the project work is to
develop green types of concrete with inorganic residual products as substitutes for either cement
or sand.

The participants in this working group have gathered information about numerous inorganic,
residual products from the concrete industry and from other industries, from which the waste
products have not previously been used in concrete. Each product has been evaluated from a
concrete technological and an environmental point of view and five different products have been
chosen for an experimental investigation. A test programme is planned in order to test these
concrete types as well as concrete types with high contents of fly ash. The initial testing includes
workability, air content, compressive strength, heat development, homogeneity, water
separation, setting time, density and pumpability. Some of the concrete types intended for
aggressive exposure will also undergo different durability tests. From the initial mix testing, the
most promising types of green concrete will be selected for more advanced testing.

4. DISCUSSION

After the presentations, there was time for questions and discussion. Most of the questions
directed to the speakers concerned practical details (e.g. if water/binder ratio should be preferred
instead of water/cement ratio). Below, the focus is on the principle questions, which were posed
during the discussion. The comments have been grouped according to subject and not
necessarily in the order, they were expressed.

4.1 What is “sustainability”?

• Relying on an industrial by-product or waste material such as fly ash is not the same as
sustainability.
• The definition of sustainability is a very philosophic discussion. Even though it might not be
sustainable to use fly ash in concrete, on the short term there will be plenty of fly ash, and it
is better to use it than to store it.
• The definition of sustainability is very dependent on how local your environmental
calculations are.
4.2 Ambitions for further research and development

• It is important to put one’s sight high and be ambitious. Much of the work done in the field
of green concrete is more or less optimisation of well known technologies instead of new
solutions, and this will never result in a break-through.
• The research and development work should not solely be based on environmental goals.
Some consideration about the market to serve is also needed. If there are no limits of costs,
there will be no technical limits either.
• The focus needs to be widened. Often focus is on CO2 reduction, but the whole
environmental impact should be covered. Accordingly, the investigations of the material
should include not only the binder but all parts of the concrete and the structure it is build
into.
• When choosing materials, we are focusing on a lot of technical parameters such as strength,
but sometimes low strength is adequate. There might be a market for a green concrete even
though it does not have exactly the same properties as conventional concrete, so we ought
also think in terms of new ways to use the material.

4.3 How can we promote the use of green concrete?

• Green concrete does not fulfil the requirements of the existing standards so new standards
are needed.
• The building owners should try to influence standards in a green direction.
• Removal of technical barriers is not enough to make green concrete a success. There has to
be a demand for the product. In Norway, a project on recycled aggregates has started
recently, and in this project focus is also on how to minimise the scepticism of the consumer
against a new product.

5. CONCLUSION

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. Different countries have different traditions (e.g., in
Denmark the ready mix plant adds the inorganic additives whereas in the Netherlands it is the
cement producer) and therefore different aspects can be presented.

After the workshop a Nordic network in the field of green concrete has been initiated.
Everybody interested is very welcome to contact Mette Glavind, Danish Technological Institute.

REFERENCES

/1/ Mette Glavind, Jesper S. Damtoft, and Anette Berrig, Danish Centre for Green Concrete,
Proceedings, Nordic Concrete Research Meeting, Iceland (1999).
/2/ Mette Glavind, Dirch Bager, Freddie Larsen, and Ronny Boy, Concrete with inorganic,
resdual Products, Proceedings, Nordic Concrete Research Meeting, Iceland (1999).