THE DEVELOPMENT OF ‘ECO-FRIENDLY’ CONCRETE USING SILICA FUME WITH HIGH ECONOMIC VALUES

The world’s yearly cement production of 2 billion tons emits about 7% of carbon dioxide (CO2) into the atmosphere. Producing a ton of Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC) produces a ton of CO2. In concrete production, OPC should not only be considered as the main high strength contributor. Aggregate gradings and types of admixtures should be taken into serious consideration. Major concrete issues such as pre-structural deterioration, durability in marine environment and natural resources depletion should be concerned. Silica Fume (SF), the by-products of metal industries attracts the attention of many parties. SF abundance availability has become an environmental issue but being a potential high strength contributor has attracted many parties into applying its application into the concrete technology and construction industry. This research is to produce concrete that is high performance and high strength from 50MPa-80MPa having the ‘Eco-Green’ characteristics. The research was conducted using the Trial Laboratory Test method. X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) and X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) analyses were conducted to analyze the chemical compositions of OPC and SF. SF is then added 5% and 10% into 2 types of aggregate mixes namely ‘Designed’ and ‘As-supplied’ with fixed 0.5w/c. Excel worksheets were produced to determine the cement efficiency and cost effectiveness. It is concluded that by adding SF, the strength of concrete has increase by 15%-20%. With comparisons from other research, cement consumption is reduced by 15%-20%. CO2 emissions were reduced by 15%-20%, energy efficient during production and have enhanced durability. This can be justified from Excel worksheets produced. OPC content is not the main contributor to the high strength of concrete. This is part of an effort to produce the ideal building material that delivers many positive traits.