Chugoku Electric Develops Environmentally Friendly Concrete

The Chugoku Electric Power Co. announced on January 13, 2011, that it had developed a new type of concrete jointly with Kajima Corp., a major construction company, and Denki Kagaku Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (DENKA), a general chemical products manufacturer. The newly-developed concrete, the first of its kind in the world, produces in effect zero or less carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions during the manufacturing process as it is hardened by absorbing CO2 emitted from a thermal power station.

The environmental issue associated with concrete is that a large amount of CO2 is released during the manufacturing process of its key ingredient, cement. This new type of concrete contains a special additive which hardens concrete by absorbing CO2, and thus substantially reduces the amount of cement used. Thanks to using less cement, cement production-related CO2 emissions can be halved compared to a conventional type. Moreover, the absorption of CO2 can compensate for, or even exceed, the amount of CO2 emitted during the manufacturing process.

Using coal ash as a substitute for the reduced cement, the new concrete contributes to the utilization of coal ash as well as the reduction of CO2, both discharged from a thermal power station.

The company plans to use paving blocks made by this technology at its public relations facility in its solar power generation plant in Fukuyama, Hiroshima Prefecture. It intends to further promote the commercialization of the new concrete by making larger pieces of it, and by widening the range of applications.

Japan's Obayashi Corp. Develops 'Low-Carbon' Concrete (Related JFS article)
http://www.japanfs.org/en/pages/030143.html
Reusing Concrete Debris for Building Foundations Helps Reduce CO2(Related JFS article)
http://www.japanfs.org/en/pages/026498.html
Japanese Construction Companies to Develop Long-Life Concrete(Related JFS article)
http://www.japanfs.org/en/pages/026577.html

Posted: 2011/05/03 06:00:15 AM