For many years, construction experts have been trying to innovate how cement is produced. The Czech company ERC-Tech has recently made great strides and together with Skanska it developed a new type of concrete that is entirely made of recycled construction debris. This unique Czech patent has the potential to revolutionize both the construction industry and the environment.
Although not obvious at first glance, demolition rubble and debris is a major problem—it accounts for almost half of all waste generated in the Czech Republic. Only one tenth of the rubble is used for other purposes, which is a shamefully low number considering how much non-renewable resources are wasted and the high carbon footprint of mining and transporting materials. Construction companies have been trying to recycle construction rubble in part because of the rising costs of sand, gravel, and stone, which increase overall construction costs.
The innovations created by František Polák from ERC-Tech will elegantly solve all of these problems. In collaboration with Skanska’s innovation and development specialists, he invented a material called Rebetong, which has properties similar to concrete, but is made of construction debris instead of sand, grave, and stone. It also has a lower thermal conductivity coefficient than conventional concrete, and so it decreases a building’s energy consumption. For now, the technology and know-how—the way in which the debris is crushed and the special nanoblend added to it—is a closely guarded secret. Skanska is the first construction company in the world that officially manufactures this Czech invention.
Source of photos: Skanska a.s.
