CHENNAI: In a step towards reducing carbon dioxide emission in the construction industry, a test-bed facility for developing durable and sustainable concrete structures is expected to be established on the Thaiyur campus of IIT-Madras.
If implemented, this will be India’s first-ever test-bed facility focussed on testing new technologies in cement and aggregate production, sources said.
On Saturday, VG Sakthi Kumar, CMD of Schwing Stetter, a construction equipment manufacturer, signed an MoU with IIT-M. As part of the agreement, Schwing Stetter will become a platinum member in the technologies for low carbon lean concrete programme and will also join the industry advisory board of the Centre of Excellence at IIT-M.
Prof Radhakrishna G Pillai and assistant prof Surender Singh of IIT-M highlighted a study conducted by IIT-M and Stetter in association with CMRL on the reuse of construction and demolition (C&D) waste in concrete production. Their research emphasised the importance of using recycled concrete aggregates (RCA) derived from waste concrete piles for new construction projects.
RCA, produced by crushing waste concrete chunks, have the potential to replace natural aggregates in structural-grade concrete applications. The Schwing Stetter crushers and recycling technology could play a crucial role in processing debris to extract usable materials, reducing landfill waste and preventing illegal dumping in waterbodies, they said.
According to their findings, India generates about 700 million tonnes of construction and demolition waste annually, the majority of which is dumped in landfills or unauthorised locations. If properly processed, this waste could replace natural stones and sand for various projects. In January, GCC collected 19,046 tonnes of C&D waste.