Gigacrete: An Alternative to Concrete
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 06. 4.07
We have never been fond of concrete for single family residential uses; there is too much gravel excavation, carbon released making cement, transport of a heavy, marginally recyclable material to house a couple of people. Yet there is something to be said for some of the properties of concrete; it is strong, verminproof. has good thermal mass and is non-combustible.
Now, it appears that one can have the best of both worlds. Justin at Materialicious shows us Gigacrete, which has no portland cement but a "proprietary non-toxic binder" made from "a different cementitious binder consisting of commonly found nontoxic elements available from many locations throughout the world." We are not nuts about proprietary solutions and prefer to know what ingredients go into our buildings, but definitely like the fact that up to 80% of the volume of the material is fillers:
These fillers include waste bottom ash from coal fired power generation stations, not just the marketable fly ash currently used in Portland-based concrete. Other potential filler materials that could be implemented include waste paper, recycled cardboard, recycled plastics, recycled polystyrene, agricultural waste fibers, and paper sludge. All of the above materials become fireproof when mixed with the GigaCrete™ binder and can be made very lightweight with strengths close to, and even exceeding, traditional concrete. The new composites have virtually no shrinking or cracking like concrete and can be demolded within eight hours."
The stuff is light- this guy looks tough but he couldn't lift a piece of concrete that size.
Summary of the "Green Factors":
-Several GigaCrete™ products can be made with recycled waste material such as bottom ash, fly ash, sludge, or dredged materials. And, these waste material fillers can comprise up to 80% (by volume) of GigaCrete™ products. Usage of such waste materials reduces the amount of these byproducts going to landfills or other waste storage sites.
- Less carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions are produced from the manufacture of the GigaCrete™ cement binder than compared to the manufacture of Portland cement.
- Energy savings can be achieved with the GigaCrete™ PanelSystem due to the high thermal efficiency and insulating value of the panel material. According to the “Structural Insulated Panel Association in Partnership with Oakridge National Labs,” structural paneled homes can achieve energy savings of up to 70%.
- The GigaCrete™ cement binder is 100% nontoxic.
- GigaCrete™ products use approximately two-thirds less water than conventional Portland-based cement products.
- High resistance to mold, mildew, insects, and vermin facilitates cleaner living environments.
- Reduction of waste materials is achieved due to efficient manufacturing methods and a building system design that reduces “on-the-job” waste.
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All GigaCrete™ ash-based products are totally noncombustible and all GigaCrete™ sand-based products will not support flame - thereby reducing the potential for hazardous off-gases associated with structure fires.
- Eco Friendly StuccoMax-E (environmental) contains 80% (by volume) recycled bottom ash filler material - and is the only stucco product on the market that utilizes bottom ash in such high content.
- Eco Friendly GigaFoam utilizes 100% waste ash as a filler material and is the only waste ash foam on the market.
Looks like an interesting alternative at ::Gigacrete via ::Materialicio.us
don' try this on a wood frame wall....
One remaining complaint:
Still as boringly grey as normal concrete.
And, a great product for those eco-friendly panic rooms! It can stop large handgun and assault rifle rounds ...
LA: glad to see that you read to the bottom...
That is what paint is for. Or else I am sure an environmentally friendly color dye could be added to the binder, if you have a sufficiently large enough order for this stuff.
Still as boringly grey as normal concrete.
i know, and don't get me started on that drab white sheetrock.
I would be a little leery, after all cellulose is the favourite food of molds, and a concrete matrix cannot seal out moisture getting at it.
I could totally see something in a pavement made from waste cellulose. Something that gets renewed every few years, like a driveway surface, that has an opportunity to dry out. Put a moisture barrier underneath it. Or garden bricks.
Still as boringly grey as normal concrete
Yeah? Check this out: http://materialicio.us/tag/stains - there are lots of solutions out there if you look.
As for the cellulose, I do believe that the cellulose (and all other ingredients are rendered INERT during processing. A moot point.
(I'm the author of the original Gigacrete article - Thx, Lloyd)
Lloyd,
I have a few questions:
1. What is the cost of this gigacrete and where can it be purchased?
2. What method(s) are used to join it to other pieces of gigacrete?
Adrian Akau
adrianakau2aol.com
I don't know - like you say, I get a bit suspicious of anything proprietary, and I don''t really like the idea of my kids living in a house made out of what is essentially industrial waste.
Mixing all kinds of waste into building blocks is not new, I saw it first in MAD magazine around 30 years ago (ok, it was true garbage, but what the heck), but seriously, cool stuff. If you need it to make the whole thing waterproof, perhaps it can be combined with Hycrete (hycrete.com), which is an additive that seals concrete
.
What's wrong with boring grey? Color does not matter as much as an awesome cast-in-place job. It's all about the crafts, people.
"What's wrong with boring grey?"
That it is grey and that it is boring.
What percentage of the mix comes from bottom ash and has an assay been comepleted on the product to establish the concentrations and activities of the radioactive materials from the ash.
If you made the concret light, would'nt you loose one of the best properties of concrete; its thermal mass?