Reusing Concrete Debris for Building Foundations Helps Reduce CO2

Two Japanese construction companies, Kajima Corp. and Fudo Tetra Co. have developed an advanced liquefied soil stabilization method. They call this "Advan Soil," and have already applied it in an actual construction project, according to their announcement on August 10, 2006. This new¡¡method for improving the soil under building foundations reuses concrete debris generated from demolition of existing buildings. The debris is mixed with liquidized soil at the construction site.

The construction industry has recently been having to deal with the need to effectively use increasing construction byproducts, especially construction waste soil that arises during new building construction and concrete debris from existing building demolition. Concrete debris generated from demolition is reused as an aggregate for a liquefied soil foundation, and provides greater strength than conventional methods, while emitting less carbon dioxide because less concrete debris is carried out of the site.

During the processes, impurities are removed from the concrete debris, and it is mixed at the construction site with soil that has been liquefied at an outside plant. The mixture is poured into the space between a supporting layer and the new foundation. At the test practical application site, the amount of reused concrete debris was equivalent to a 37 ton-CO2 emission reduction.

Encouraged by approval given by the Building Center of Japan to the method as an innovative building technology in March 2006, Kajima and Fudo Tetra will actively apply the method at demolition sites. The companies also plan to develop smaller-scale operations tailored to small construction sites.

http://www.kajima.co.jp/welcome.html

Posted: 2006/11/17 05:28:13 PM
Japanese version