Sustainability has been a very steep challenge for concrete and its ancillary manufacturers. No wonder these manufacturers have been tagged as major spoilers who cause a barrier to an environment that’s healthy and liveable. However, things are taking a U-turn now, and that too at a brisk pace, since cement and concrete manufacturers are adopting measures that take them closer to a more complex-free world that goes easy on the environment.
The advent of fly ash has been one groundbreaking development that has made the road to sustainability worth every move. Not just that, sourcing locally produced materials that benefit from lower energy expenditures has also gone on to strengthen the supply chain to a significant extent, thereby resulting in sustainable actions.
In this piece, we get to-the-point information on all the development that has been taking place surrounding sustainability adoption and modern-age advancements.
Here’s a quick Q&A with the CEO of Eco Material Technologies, Grant Quasha.
1. How do you see the concrete industry evolving over the next five years in response to sustainability efforts and changing market demands?
The key phrase in this question is “market demands.” While I think it’s safe to expect less government intervention seeking to impose sustainability requirements, the cement and concrete markets already have considerable momentum to voluntarily improve the environmental profile of their products – both because their customers want it and because it’s the right thing to do.
2. Can you elaborate on the benefits of locally produced materials in terms of sustainability, flexibility and support for the local economy?
Local economies obviously benefit from producing things here rather than purchasing them from halfway around the globe. The sustainability benefits of locally produced materials are both apparent and complex. Locally produced materials benefit from lower energy expenditures and reduced emissions from long distance transportation. But materials in the U.S. are also subject to the highest environmental standards during the production phase.
3. What specific steps should the industry take to strengthen domestic supply chains?
This is an area where the new political environment is likely to be helpful. We can expect a renewed emphasis on “Buy American,” which in turn may result in government permitting policies that allow more and faster development of the infrastructure needed to support the local production of materials. Our company is already investing significant capital both to bring on new production capacity and expand distribution networks for the products.
4. How is increased supply of harvested fly ash helping concrete manufacturers meet their carbon reduction goals.
Fortunately for concrete producers, fly ash is in increasingly abundant supply in the U.S. Although coal plants continue to retire, the American Coal Ash Association estimates that more than 2 billion tons of ash is available in landfills and impoundments around the country to be harvested to meet the concrete sector’s net-zero-carbon targets. Utilizing those 2 billion tons of fly ash in concrete production would thus avoid the release of almost 2 billion tons of CO2 into the atmosphere.
5. What advances in fly ash harvesting or use are under development?
The great thing about ash harvesting is that it’s not a science fair experiment. Harvesting previously disposed ash involves the deployment of already mature technologies. Development today is largely focused on increasing production and distribution capacity so that ash users can confidently utilize increasingly higher volumes of material.
6. Are there any challenges? Is that relevant to integrating fly ash into wider concrete production?
Once again, not a science fair experiment. Fly ash has been used to improve both the performance and sustainability of concrete for decades. Consensus standards are in place and concrete producers know how to use the material. Rather than challenges, we are now faced with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. The rise of ash harvesting promises a more reliable supply of ash for specifiers and ready-mix producers, as its availability is unaffected by seasonal or other variations in the operation of coal plants. And because harvesting operations almost always employ some form of beneficiation, the resulting products are remarkably consistent in quality.
7. What role does federal environmental policy play in accelerating the adoption of sustainable practices in concrete industries?
Many federal agencies have been working for years to support voluntary adoption of concrete sustainability strategies. To name just a couple of those efforts, there’s the Federal Highway Administration Sustainable Pavements program, the Environmental Protection Agency Smart Sectors program, and programs in numerous departments to support purchasing of greener building materials. The federal government both funds and directly conducts a lot of construction and can lead the way by leveraging that purchasing power.
8. What role does Eco Material Technologies play in promoting decarbonization and sustainability in the concrete industry?
Eco Material Technologies is the largest marketer of fly ash and natural pozzolans in North America and likely the world. Currently, our products displace 5 percent of the U.S. cement production of 120 million tons per year. Eco Material and its predecessor companies are directly responsible for reducing the carbon footprint of concrete by more than 200 million tons over the life of our company. That’s the carbon reduction equivalent of removing 40 million cars from the road for a year.
9. Can you share any innovations or upcoming projects from your company aimed at addressing these industry trends?
One of our most exciting innovations is the deployment of our proprietary Green Cement products. Eco has reengineered pozzolanic cement so that it can be made at room temperature with virtually no emissions—a near-zero-carbon cement. Our proprietary Pozzoslag® and PozzoCEM® cements can replace between 50 and 100 percent of the portland cement required to make high-strength durable concrete. These fast-acting cements produce concrete that is 20 percent stronger than that produced using portland cement within the first 28 days and continues to gain strength over time.
10. As a leader in this area What excites you most about the future of the concrete industry?
Concrete is the second-most-used material in the world after water. According to the Global Cement and Concrete Association, approximately 15 billion tons of concrete are produced and used each year in the construction of housing, commercial structures, roads, bridges, and a wide range of other building projects. Concrete always has been and will continue to be at the literal foundation of our built environment. It’s gratifying to work on the improvement of a sector that touches literally everyone’s life every day.
11. What advice would you give to industry stakeholders looking to adapt to these emerging trends?
Not so much advice, but rather a reminder: The pursuit of sustainability does not preclude simultaneous improvements in product performance. The use of fly ash and other supplementary cementitious materials in concrete is a prime example. Concrete made with fly ash is stronger and more durable than concrete made with portland cement alone. We are able to build not just cleaner, but better in every way.
