University of the Philippines (Diliman) Insitute of Civil Engineering students won first place in the Eco-concrete contest in Quebec, Canada. The award was given during the American Concrete Instute (ACI) Spring 2019 Convention held on March 24-28.
UP Civil Engineering students raised the Philippine flag high as they were awarded first place in the Eco-Concrete Competition. L-R: Engr. Froilan Martillano (ACI Philippines director); Engr. Justin Seranilla (coach); student winners, Angelica Anne Munar, Alexis Declaro, Ryan Ramelo and Paulo Santos; Engr. Christian Orozco (coach and ACI Philippines vice president); Engr. Ramon Allado (ACI Philippines president). Photo Courtesy of UP Media and Public RelationsAbout the Concrete Invention from UP Diliman: Rapid global urbanization boosts the demand for concrete at an unprecedented rate. This means that the environmental footprint of concrete production can no longer be ignored. The conventional concrete mix, which consists only of cement, gravel, sand, and water, must be revisited to achieve environmental sustainability in the decision-making process. This study compares a base-case scenario (BCS) concrete mixture consisting of gravel, sand, water, and Portland cement, with an alternative-case scenario (ACS) concrete mixture composed of recycled, co-product, and locally sourced raw materials that replaced conventional concrete materials. An average improvement of 23.9% was observed in the environmental performance of concrete using five parameters, namely, global warming, carcinogenic impact, ozone depletion, ecotoxicity, and fossil fuel depletion. Concrete testing after 14 days of curing showed a compressive strength equal to 41.30 and 32.40 MPa for the BCS, and ACS, respectively. The BCS and ACS, after 14 days of curing, had a resistivity of 3.52 and 18.41 kΩ-cm. This study shows that an environmentally friendly, yet strong and durable concrete can be produced. (UP Media and Public Relations Office)
