An Australian university has revealed new information about recycled concrete which it believes can reduce construction waste.
Western Sydney University Professor Vivian Tam has spent the last eight years as part of a team working on CO2 concrete.
“I have been passionate for the last 20 years about researching how we can reuse the material and save it from going to landfill,” she said.
“With CO2 Concrete, we put crushed recycled concrete into a pressurised chamber and inject it with carbon dioxide which allows it to be as strong and durable as virgin concrete, while reducing carbon emissions from concrete production.”
The university’s CO2 Concrete has been poured at its Hawkesbury campus and Blacktown Animal Rehoming as a test.
Western Sydney University confirmed it was “in high levels of discussion with concrete suppliers about commercialisation” of CO2 concrete as it tries to bring it to market.
Tam has redirected her efforts in a way that will impact the aggregates industry. Tam’s latest invention, Het-Crete is made from mixed aggregate from construction and demolition waste that is more difficult to recycle.
Tam received over $1.1 million from the Australian Research Council (ARC) Future Fellowship, to fund this research over four years.
“We are researching the processes we can use to speed up this new product development. This will expand the life cycle of the product to benefit the planet.”
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