Concrete Supports Recycling

Reduces Heat Island Effect | High Albedo | Local Manufacture | No Toxic Runoff | Supports Recycling

Supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs) are industrial byproducts which can be used to supplement the use of cement in concrete mixtures while improving product performance. Examples include blast furnace slag, fly ash, and silica fume, all of which increase concrete durability by decreasing permeability and cracking. Blast furnace slag, the waste byproduct of steel manufacturing, imparts added strength and durability to concrete and can replace up to 70% of the cement in the mix. Fly ash, the waste byproduct of burning coal in electrical power plants, used to be landfilled, but now a significant amount is used in cement. Silica fume, a byproduct of silicone production, consists of superfine spherical particles and is used frequently for high-rise buildings to produce concrete that exceeds 20,000 psi compressive strength.

Once concrete has reached the end of its life cycle, it is 100% recyclable, used as aggregate in roadbeds or as a granular material.