Green concrete absorbs CO2

Concrete with olivine as a supplement material can absorb large quantities of CO 2. That is one of the surprising results of the Case Study Green Concrete. At the conclusion of the case, the results are shown of nine experiments in which different ideas of green concrete have been tested.

Olivine
Most interesting was the experiment with olivine as a supplement material. Olivine, a green-coloured mineral, with a relatively short time weather resistance time. Open concrete (so very porous concrete) in which sand and gravel have been replaced by olivine, seems capable to absorb, in the course of his life, ten times more CO2 from the air than the amount of CO 2 that occurs in concrete production.

Precast Concrete Case
The Cement & Concrete Centre, 's-Hertogenbosch and the office Bakker, Delft, organizing an annual Precast Concrete Case study, in collaboration with leading concrete producers in the Netherlands and Belgium. Architects are invited to bring ideas to stimulate innovation in concrete.

Green Concrete
The theme of the Case Study 2008 is Green Concrete. The first dialogue between architects and experts led to nine concrete ideas that were sufficiently specific to start up an experimental phase. The past three months, teams of producer and architect worked thoroughly on these ideas. The team that worked on CO 2-absorption with olivine consisted of Thijs Pingen (Geelen Beton, Wanssum) en Mick van Essen (Bureau SLA, Amsterdam)Special expertise of olivine was provided by  prof. Olaf Schuiling, University Utrecht.

Results
The results are now displayed and evaluated within the group of participants in this case. Several experiments show great potential for development and marketing.

Exposition
Exhibition for a large audience for the Architectural days, 5 and Nov. 6, Rotterdam.

Contact Cement & Concrete Center, 's-Hertogenbosch, Hans Köhne (073) 640 12 51, hanskohne@cementenbeton.nl