Week 5.1 - Vegetables can make buildings stronger

Concrete is the most widely used man-made material on the planet and has always been used as the basis for the built environment.
However, as architects and the public are paying more and more attention to the causes and effects of climate change, people are increasingly eager to find more high-performance materials to improve or replace cement because the damage caused by cement is not negligible.
Plant composite concrete made from vegetables such as sugar beets or carrots has superior structural and environmental properties over all currently available commercial cement additives, such as expensive graphene and carbon nanotubes.



The potential of plant composite concrete lies in the ability of nanoplatelets to increase the content of hydrated calcium silicate in concrete mixtures, and hydrated calcium silicate is the main substance controlling structural properties. This chain effect means that the amount of cement required for construction will be reduced.
In addition, nanoplatelets can improve product quality and reduce the number of cracks in concrete. The denser microstructure also helps prevent corrosion and increase the life of the material.

This composite material not only outperforms current cement products in terms of mechanical and microstructural properties but also reduces the use of cement and significantly reduces energy consumption and carbon dioxide emissions associated with cement production.

Environmental benefits have become more pronounced when studying carbon dioxide emissions. Portland cement accounts for 8% of global carbon dioxide emissions, and this number will double in 30 years. By using root vegetables to provide a longer lasting mixture of cement, the CO2 consumption of one cubic meter of concrete can be reduced by about 40 kg.

I believe that if the latest technology can be expanded and integrated into concrete production, the construction industry can reduce the carbon footprint of each new building.

References

Archdaily.https://www.archdaily.com/900003/could-carrots-make-concrete-stronger-and-greener

Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QUw3ywoazIA

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