Eco-cement

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Eco-Cement is a brand name for a type of cement which incorporates reactive magnesia (sometimes called caustic calcined magnesia or magnesium oxide), another hydraulic cement such as Portland cement, and optionally pozzolans and industrial by-products, to reduce the environmental impact relative to conventional cement. Eco-Cement can include more industrial by-products as aggregate than Portland cement because it is much less alkaline, reducing the incidence of alkali-aggregate reactions which cause damage to hardened concrete. Eco-cement was invented in 2001 by John Harrison and is developed by the Australian company TecEco.

The reactive magnesia in Eco-Cement uses a lower heating temperature during manufacturing than conventional cement, using less fossil fuels. Eco-Cement absorbs carbon dioxide when setting and hardening and can be recycled. The more magnesium oxide in an Eco-Cement blend, and the more porous the product is, the more CO₂ that is absorbed. The rate of absorption of CO₂ varies with the degree of porosity. Carbonation occurs quickly at first and more slowly towards completion. A typical Eco-Cement concrete block would be expected to fully carbonate within a year. Eco-Cement also has the ability to be almost fully recycled back into cement, should a concrete structure become obsolete.

[edit] References

Day, Ken W. (1999). Concrete mix design, quality control, and specification. London, New York: Taylor & Francis, 391. ISBN 0419243305.

Pearce, Fred (2002). "Green foundations". New Scientist 175 (2351): 39-41. ISSN 0262-4079. Retrieved on 2007-02-10.

Wu, Hwai-Chung; Institute of Materials, Minerals, and Mining (2006). Advanced civil infrastructure materials: Science, mechanics and applications. Cambridge, England: Woodhead Publishers; Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press, 360. ISBN 0849334772.