{"id":1004708008,"date":"2024-04-10T02:30:22","date_gmt":"2024-04-10T10:30:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.commercialsearch.com\/news\/?p=1004708008"},"modified":"2024-05-02T05:43:07","modified_gmt":"2024-05-02T13:43:07","slug":"real-estates-concrete-answers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.commercialsearch.com\/news\/real-estates-concrete-answers\/","title":{"rendered":"Real Estate\u2019s Concrete Answers"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Concrete is ubiquitous, used in all sorts of structures around the globe, mainly because it\u2019s affordable and durable. However, nobody would call it “an environmentally friendly construction material.” It actually accounts for 8 percent of the world\u2019s emissions of carbon dioxide. For perspective, the aviation industry accounts for only 2.5 percent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The main culprit is cement, a component of concrete that acts as a binder to glue sand and stones together. Cement is made of crushed limestone, and this process alone is highly carbon dioxide emitting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are many types of concrete, depending on the application\u2014foundation, column, curb, driveway etc. Based on the strength needed, each uses different amounts of cement and there are millions of unique concrete recipes or mix designs available for different applications. A significant carbon reduction<\/a> could be obtained if it was possible to use less cement in its production, without impacting its durability. And the industry is working on it, making great strides.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Low(er)-carbon concrete? It\u2019s possible.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Construction and development company Skanska uses concrete extensively in its projects. It even has its own concrete company founded in 1887 in Sweden. Obviously, technological advancement is something that the company is keen on, so it\u2019s been deeply involved in concrete\u2019s various applications in construction: from concrete mix design engineering, concrete production and precast manufacturing, to self-performed structural concrete work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In November 2019, Skanska launched the EC3 tool<\/a>, which had the greatest impact on concrete than any other material, according to Senior Vice President of Sustainability Steve Clem, due to its outsized carbon impact. Specifically, the tool has helped increase transparency in the supply chain and even driven voluntary reductions in the Global Warming Potential (GWP) of many mix designs, especially in the West.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“The average mix design GWP in the Seattle area reduced by 18 percent in less than a year just by changes to sourcing as a result of one mega-project asking for EC3 data,” Clem noted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another company levering technology to reduce concrete\u2019s climate impact is Concrete.ai, a startup that is the result of 10 years of research at UCLA\u2019s Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

“The diversity in concrete formulations arises from the vast options of ingredients, including types of cement, aggregates like rock and sand, as well as chemical admixtures,” explained Alex Hall, CEO of Concrete.ai.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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READ ALSO:<\/strong> Is the Rise in Construction Costs Decelerating?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Field testing its AI-driven software, dubbed Concrete Copilot, reduced emissions by 30 percent while cutting costs by $5 per cubic yard. The platform integrates with a producer\u2019s existing supply chains and data, basically eliminating the need for external testing. And while the technology relies on generative AI<\/a> for precision, it keeps the human experience in the driver\u2019s seat. It uses AI to identify the optimal concrete recipes for any application and allows the producer to refine key criteria and select which recipes to use, while further training the AI to identify similar mixes in the future. Time spent on this process is cut down from weeks to minutes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Optimization for a carbon dioxide perspective requires reduction of cement, which generates roughly 90 percent of all concrete\u2019s carbon dioxide emissions,” Hall said. “Reduction today is primarily achieved through substitution by Supplementary Cementitious Materials like fly ash, a byproduct of coal power stations, and slag, a byproduct of steel manufacture.” But the availability of these materials depends on proximity to source, given that every ingredient of concrete is a commodity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, Clem noted that there are multiple avenues to reduction, including: changing sourcing patterns and methods\u2014such as barging cement instead of trucking\u2014cement reduction and replacement (limestone, slag, glass pozzolans), recycled\/special aggregates (brimstone), carbon-capture (carboncure) and other additives like biochar. They all have the ability to make the mix design carbon neutral.<\/p>\n\n\n\n