Waste Materials in Construction
The material that used in construction projects has been divided into many classifications. The classification varies from materials that disturb human beings as far as harassing the environment. The need to redefine and mitigate those aspects will be beneficial or at least can avoid the negative effect that may arise from the materials in construction. Along with this journal, I will try to elucidate the waste material that regularly becomes waste materials and how to reuse them respectively.
Concrete
A Concrete has become major construction materials in every construction project. It must be confessed that concrete has very high carbon density, and in fact, the carbon produced by concrete has a negative effect on the environment and emphasize the concern of global warming. If we look at the healthy aspects, concrete also could negatively affect human health. The rise of the concept of net-zero building emissions abruptly increased due to the fact of environmental issues. Based on previous research, concrete use occurs 50–70% of all over the world. With this percentage, engineers, especially those involved in construction projects, may consider decreasing the use of concrete materials in construction projects. Even it will affect the completion and life-cycle of the development process.
How to fix it?
There are several types of activities could be used in managing the waste materials in concrete. One of them is converting it into a foundation-materials for buildings. The unused dry concrete in every construction project can be mobilized and put as a stamping material for foundation support in construction projects (if you are unfamiliar with it, you may check the figure below).
From the figure above, we can state that the dry concrete we put in has become another option for natural stone regularly used in construction projects. Proof or not, so far.., the use of concrete in construction projects is necessary. And brought of that condition, we can not 100% remove the use of concrete. We just aim to utilise concrete resources as efficiently as possible by transforming them into something useful rather than letting them decompose into waste.
Steel material
Steel material also becomes one of the major construction materials in every construction project. Steel material was used as part of structural elements or simply as the column and beam rebar in any structural construction. The function of this material is to give (fy) strength or stability of ductility in the structure of the building. Steel material has high potential to become overused. There are so many reasons, one of it is over-estimated by the Quantity Surveyor (QS), in the design and calculation of the projects.
If it just happened?
Recycling steel is a reasonable method to reuse or at least decrease the quantity of steel consumed. There are numerous ways to recreate steel material, such as using Rebars Machine’s (Scrap) Rebar Straightening Machines. We may also ponder about reusing this material in the manufacture of a steel company.
One of the other options is decrease the use of steel material in construction projects and choose another material as part of reinforcement concrete. One of materials engineers may choose is timber/bamboo. But in general, be careful to choose this option as part of materials for the construction project. All design and calculation must be referred to mandatory engineers in structural elements of building. (If you were interested, you may ask me through my social media or visit the Engineering Space where I am involved as an instructor and engineer).
Wood and timber materials
Wood material is one of the next major construction materials that is very close to being overused. Construction projects regularly use wood and or timber as part of the formwork process. Formwork is a work used to process the concrete from wet to dry. The process of timber and wood becoming unused materials in construction will be shown once the construction project is close to the finishing process. But, on the other view, wood and timber are expected to be used as part of major construction materials in the future. Wood and timber material are still in research due to their ductility and resilience. Timber as a construction material has many advantages, zero-emission, zero carbon, and also flexibility in pre-design and pre-fabricated.
So, how do we mitigate the wood or timber from becoming waste materials?
From my point of view, there are many options that could be maximized. First, collect the un-use wood materials, and convert them as furniture. Second, process this wood as an eco-fertilizer (I have explained the details in the other journals. You may check it here or see the references section).
Far from the advantages and the disadvantages of all materials above. One of the most important things that I need to mention is how we take full responsibility for every aspect of the work we do, starting from the initiation process into finalize process of the construction projects that we handle. And most important thing is how future engineers could stabilize sustainable innovations that can be addressed for human race.
Reference:
