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A
Seminar report
On

Green Concrete
Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the award of degree
of Civil

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Preface
I have made this report file on the topic Green Concrete; I have tried my best to
elucidate all the relevant detail to the topic to be included in the report. While in the
beginning I have tried to give a general view about this topic.
My efforts and wholehearted co-corporation of each and everyone has ended on a
successful note. I express my sincere gratitude to ..who assisting me
throughout the preparation of this topic. I thank him for providing me the reinforcement,
confidence and most importantly the track for the topic whenever I needed it.

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Content

INTRODUCTION
Why Green Concrete?
What is GREEN concrete?
Features of Green Concrete
Materials for Green Concrete
Environmental Benefits to using Green Concrete
PRODUCTION OF GREEN CONCRETE
Green lightweight aggregates
SUITABILITY OF GREEN CONCRETE IN STRUCTURES
ADVANTAGES
Improved engineering properties
LIMITATION
SCOPE IN INDIA
CONCLUSION
References

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INTRODUCTION
The concrete is made with concrete wastes which are eco-friendly so called as Green
concrete.
The other name for green concrete is resource saving structures with reduced
environmental impact for e.g. Energy saving, co2 emissions, waste water.
Green concrete is a revolutionary topic in the history of concrete industry. This was first
invented in Denmark in the year 1998 by Dr.WG.

Why Green Concrete?

Huge impact on sustainability

Most widely used material on Earth
30% of all materials flows on the planet
70% of all materials flows in the built environment.
> 2.1 billion tonnes per annum.
>15 billion tonnes poured each year.
Over 2 tonnes per person per annum

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What is GREEN concrete?

Most people associate GREEN concrete with concrete that is colored with pigment.
However, it is also referred which has not yet hardened. But in the context of this topic,
green concrete is taken to mean environmentally friendly concrete. This means concrete
that uses less energy in its production & produces less carbon dioxide than normal
concrete is green concrete.
Engineers and architects have choices of the material and products they use to design
projects - when it comes to a building frame the choice is typically between concrete,
steel and wood. Material choice depends on several factors including first cost, life cycle
cost and performance for a specific application. Due to growing interest in sustainable
development, engineers and architects are motivated more than ever before to choose
materials that are more sustainable. However, such choice is not as straight forward as
selecting an energy star rated appliance or a vehicle providing high fuel mileage.
Engineers and architects can compare materials and choose one that is more sustainable
or specify a construction material in such a way as to minimize environmental impact?
Recent focus on climate change and the impact of greenhouse gas emissions on our
environment has caused many to focus on CO2 emissions as the most critical
environmental impact indicator.
Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is the parameter; the construction industry should look
into. LCA considers materials over the course of their entire life cycle including material
extraction, manufacturing, construction, operations, and finally reuse/recycling.
Concrete is one of the world's most widely used structural construction material. High
quality concrete that meets specification requires a new standard of process control and
materials optimization. Increasingly, concrete is being recognized for its strong
environmental benefits in support of creative and effective sustainable development.
Concrete has substantial sustainability benefits.
The main ingredient in concrete is cement and it consists of Limestone (Calcium
Carbonate CaCO3). During manufacture of cement, its ingredients are heated to about
800 - 10000C. During this process the Carbon Dioxide is driven off. Approximately 1kg
of cement releases about 900gms of Carbon Dioxide into the atmosphere.

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Features of Green Concrete:

Where does the Carbon Dioxide come from in concrete?
Cement production accounts for more than 6% of all CO2 emission which is a major
factor in the world global warming (Greenhouse gas). India is the third largest cement
producer in the World and one of the largest consumers of cement per capita in the world.
Rough figures are that India consumes about 1.2 Ton/year/capita, while as World average
is 0.6 Ton/year/capita.
There have been a number of efforts about reducing the CO2 emissions from concrete
primarily through the use of lower amounts of cement and higher amounts of
supplementary cementitious material (SCM) such as fly ash, blast furnace slag etc. CO2
emissions from 1 ton of concrete produced vary between 0.05 to 0.13 tons. 95% of all
CO2 emissions from a cubic meter of concrete is from cement manufacturing. It is
important to reduce CO2 emissions through the greater use of SCM.
i) Cement:
Most of CO2 in concrete is from the cement manufacturing process. A typical cubic
meter of concrete contains about 10% cement by weight. Out of all ingredients, cement
gives out most carbon dioxide. The reaction in the process of Cement manufacture is:
CaCO3 = CaO + CO2
ii) Aggregate:
Use of virgin aggregates contributes about 1% of all CO2 emissions from a typical cubic
meter of concrete. Therefore, the use of alternate aggregate is desirable. The use of local
and recycled aggregates is desirable as it can reduce transportation and fuel cost and
support sustainable development.
iii) Resources:
The growing shortage of natural aggregate and sand is another aspect the construction
industry must consider. While this may not appear to be a priority topic, pressure from
environmentalist and conservationists worldwide will continue to encourage both
legislators and construction engineers to look for viable alternatives to natural resources.
Use of recycled materials like aggregate, water is some ingredient which should be
encouraged since fresh resources are becoming increasingly scarce.
Green Concrete:
Obtaining the most suitable mix based on the specification or suggesting improvements
in the mix is to assist with the most suitable concrete for the project. The concrete which
can fall in the category of green must have the following characteristics.

Optimizes use of available materials

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Better Performance
Enhanced cohesion workability / consistency
Reduced shrinkage / creep.
Durability - Better service life of concrete
Reduced carbon footprint
No increase in cost
LEED India Certification

Green concrete mix is designed with the principle of "Particle-Packing Optimization" to

meet requirements of plastic and hardened properties.

Materials for Green Concrete:

Green construction materials are composed of renewable, rather than non-renewable
resources. Green materials are environmentally responsible because impacts are
considered over the life of the product. Depending upon project-specific goals, green
materials may involve an evaluation of one or more of the following criteria.

Locally available: Construction materials, components, and systems found

locally or regionally, saving energy and resources in transportation to the project
site.
Salvaged, re-furnished, or re-manufactured: Includes saving a material from
disposal and renovating, repairing, restoring, or generally improving the
appearance, performance, quality, functionality, or value of a product.
Reusable or recyclable: Select materials that can be easily dismantled and reused
or recycled at the end of their useful life.

Recycled materials that the Industry has found to perform favorably as substitutes for
conventional materials include: fly ash, granulated blast furnace slag, recycled concrete,
demolition waste, microsilica, etc. Generation and use of recycled materials varies from
place to place and from time to time depending on the location and construction activity
as well as type of construction projects at a given site. Following materials can be
considered in this category and are discussed here.
a. Recycled Demolition Waste Aggregate
b. Recycled Concrete Aggregate
c. Blast furnace Slag
d. Manufactured Sand
e. Glass Aggregate
f. Fly ash
They are divided in cement, cementitious material, coarse and fine aggregate. Their
definitions are as usual.

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Environmental Benefits to using Green Concrete

Geopolymer concrete, or green concrete, is part of a movement to create construction
materials that have a reduced impact on the environment. It is made from a combination
of an inorganic polymer and 25 to 100 percent industrial waste. Here is a list of 4 benefits
to using green concrete for your next project.
1. Lasts Longer
Green concrete gains strength faster and has a lower rate of shrinkage than concrete made
only from Portland Cement. Structures built using green concrete have a better chance of
surviving a fire (it can withstand temperatures of up to 2400 degrees on the Fahrenheit
scale). It also has a greater resistance to corrosion which is important with the effect
pollution has had on the environment (acid rain greatly reduces the longevity of
traditional building materials). All of those factors add up to a building that will last
much longer than one made with ordinary concrete. Similar concrete mixtures have been
found in ancient Roman structures and this material was also used in the Ukraine in the
1950s and 1960s. Over 40 years later those Ukrainian buildings are still standing. If
buildings aren't constantly having to be rebuilt, fewer construction materials are needed
and the impact to the environment during the process of making those materials is
reduced.
2. Uses Industrial Waste
Instead of a 100 percent Portland cement mixture, green concrete uses anywhere from 25
to 100 percent fly ash. Fly ash is a byproduct of coal combustion and is gathered from the
chimneys of industrial plants (such as power plants) that use coal as a power source.
There are copious amounts of this industrial waste product. Hundreds of thousands of
acres of land are used to dispose of fly ash. A large increase in the use of green concrete
in construction will provide a way to use up fly ash and hopefully free many acres of land.
3. Reduces Energy Consumption
If you use less Portland cement and more fly ash when mixing concrete, then you will use
less energy. The materials that are used in Portland cement require huge amounts of coal
or natural gas to heat it up to the appropriate temperature to turn them into Portland
cement. Fly ash already exists as a byproduct of another industrial process so you are not
expending much more energy to use it to create green concrete.
Another way that green concrete reduces energy consumption is that a building
constructed from it is more resistant to temperature changes. An architect can use this and
design a green concrete building to use energy for heating and cooling more efficiently.
4. Reduces CO2 Emissions

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In order to make Portland cementone of the main ingredients in ordinary cement
pulverized limestone, clay, and sand are heated to 1450 degrees C using natural gas or
coal as a fuel. This process is responsible for 5 to 8 percent of all carbon dioxide (CO2)
emissions worldwide. The manufacturing of green concrete releases has up to 80 percent
fewer CO2 emissions. As a part of a global effort to reduce emissions, switching over
completely to using green concrete for construction will help considerably.

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PRODUCTION OF GREEN CONCRETE

Concrete with inorganic residual products.Ceramic wastes used as green aggregates. By
replacing cement with fly ash, micro silica in larger amounts.To develop new green
cements and binding materials (i.e. by increasing the use of alternative raw materials and
alternative fuels, and by developing/improving cement with low energy consumption).
To use residual products from the concrete industry, i.e. stone dust (from crushing of
aggregate) and concrete slurry (from washing of mixers and other equipment).
To use new types of cement with reduced environmental impact. (mineralized cement,
limestone addition, waste-derived fuels).

Green lightweight aggregates

Synthetic lightweight aggregate produced from environmental waste is a viable new
source of structural aggregate material.
The uses of structural grade lightweight concrete reduce considerably the self-load of a
structure and permit larger precast units to be handled.
Water absorption of the green aggregate is large but the crushing strength of the resulting
concrete can be high.
The 28-day cube compressive strength of the resulting lightweight aggregate concrete
with density of 1590 kg/m3 and respective strength of 34 MPa.Most of normal weight
aggregate of normal weight concrete is natural stone such as limestone and granite.

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SUITABILITY OF GREEN CONCRETE IN STRUCTURES

Reduce the dead weight of a facade from 5 tons to about 3.5 tons.
Reduce crane age load, allow handling, lifting flexibility with lighter weight.
Good thermal and fire resistance, sound insulation than the traditional granite rock.
Improve damping resistance of building.
Speed of construction, shorten overall construction period.

ADVANTAGES
Advantage Of Green Concrete:
It will give enhanced cohesion so user friendly - easier to place, compact & finish
concrete. It can be seen in concrete slump given in figure 13. Some other advantages of
such mix are:

Optimized mix designs mean easier handling, better consistency and easier
finishing
Reduction in shrinkage & creep
Green Concrete uses local and recycled materials in concrete.
The heat of hydration of green concrete is significantly lower than traditional
concrete
This result in a lower temperature rise in large concrete pours which is a distinct
advantage for green concrete.

Improved engineering properties:

Mix can result in a reduced paste volume within the concrete structure resulting in
a higher level of protection against concrete deterioration.
Higher strength per kilogram of cement
Increased durability & lower permeability
More aggregates typically mean higher Modulus of elasticity.

LIMITATION
By using stainless steel, cost of reinforcement increases.
Structures constructed with green concrete have comparatively less life than
structures with conventional concrete.
Split tension of green concrete is less than that of conventional concrete.

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SCOPE IN INDIA
Green concrete is a revolutionary topic in the history of concrete industry.
As green concrete is made with concrete wastes it does take more time to come in India
because industries having problem to dispose wastes.
Also having reduced environmental impact with reduction in CO2 emission.

CONCLUSION
Green concrete having reduced environmental impact with reduction of the concrete
industries co2 commissions by 30%. Green concrete is having good thermal and fire
resistant.
In this concrete recycling use of waste material such as ceramic wastes, aggregates, so
increased concrete industry use of waste products by 20%. Hence green concrete
consumes less energy and becomes economical.
So definitely use of concrete product like green concrete in future will not only reduce
the emission of co2 in environment and environmental impact but also economical to
produce.

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References

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www.wikipedia.com
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