Sustainable Low Carbon Foamed Concrete

Universally increased concern for sustainability, reduced carbon dioxide emissions and responsible use of resources has made governments and authorities upgrade related standards and regulations. There is no doubt, the sustainability strategies agreed and the regulations set by the authorities have a vital effect on restructuring construction industry practices. Being the most widely used construction material and therefore the most resource demanding material, concrete needs to be designed and produced responsibly. So the concrete industry has shown an 18% reduction in CO2 emissions through the use of recycled materials and alternative fuels compared to 1990 baselines only until 2010. As the rest of the concrete industry, foamed concrete also contributes to sustainable construction effectively. Research has shown that recycled and secondary aggregate (RSA) materials can effectively replace primary aggregates or high carbon materials in foamed concrete either fully or partially, whilst maintaining the performance properties. Despite a number of risky factors such as high heterogeneity and water absorption capacity of the RSA materials used in foamed concrete, the key advantage arising from the use of these materials is their 0-3 mm particle sizes, which is not a suitable range for use in normal weight concrete. Furthermore, the study concluded that, foamed concrete can easily be recycled and used in the production of new foamed concrete.