Drs. Rajeev Roychand 1, Shannon Kilmartin-Lynch 2, Mohammad Saberian, Jie Li, Guomin Zhang, and Chun Qing Li described their research with concrete. These researchers from the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) described a very different than the one we discussed last week, where the concrete was modified to store energy.
These folks have examined the incorporation of coffee grounds into concrete mixes to provide greater strength.- and t solve an environmental problem Coffee grounds pile up around Australia, forcing them to dispose of some 83000 tons of the waste every year, filling up landfills. That makes incorporating the waste into concrete a laudable goal- as long as the economics work, and the resultant concrete is enhanced.
The coffee grounds have to be pyrolized (burned at very high temperature, about 662 C, in the absence of oxygen). And, by adding the pyrolized material (they call this ‘biochar’) to concrete (a 15% mixture, which replaces the sand that is normally used), it renders the mix about 30 percent stronger. Moreover, incorporating the biochar into the concrete keeps the carbon emissions (normally emitted from the landfills) bound in sold form.
Not needing sand is also an economic benefit- even an environmental one, since there is no need to seek out sand for the concrete mixture.
The problem I see is the energy cost in producing the biochar. That can make the cost of this ground/concrete mixture pretty expensive (when compared to conventional concrete). As you can see, this is really not an engineering problem per se, but a business case analysis- dealing with the costs of scaling, safety regulations, etc.
Fun for research, but not one that will necessarily prove of use in the real world.
We still ĺhave the contest going. You can obtain a copy of “One Bold Move a Day”, written by Shanna Hocking. The book shares hard won advice and insights gleaned from 20 years as a successful manager of large teams. Shanna helps you choose concepts and methods to reach your goals every your personal life. And, the key point- the time to start is now!
Among suggestions in the book is seeking out a mentor, even a personal board of advisors, as well as these suggestions- stop relying on external validation, stop trying to prove yourself, there is no such thing as perfect or a perfect time, celebrate the progress you make each and every day, and practicing gratitude.
I am asking you- my loyal readers- to provide me a short blurb of what you are doing to make yourself better each day, how you are helping to remove the bias against women and minorities in STEM and management, and the like. (Use this form, please.) I will choose among those items submitted between today and the 1rst of November and provide you a copy of Shanna’s book, One Bold Move a Day.
Good luck!
How interesting!
I had no idea having too much coffee grounds was causing problems. I hear people use it in their garden as coffee grounds contain nutrients that plants use for growth.
Once again, though, the million dollar question: who is going to pay to implement a great, yet pricey idea?
When we run out of landfill space, we may just bite the bullet and spend the pretty penny toimplement this approach.
Coffee grounds, who would have that! Very interesting information.! Thanks for the reminder about Shanna’s book, I need to get over there and read it!
Go for it, Martha! It would be great if you won a copy.
How fascinating! I hope this concept can lead to other great ways to use coffee grounds and other “trash”!
Not sure that there are other uses for coffee grounds, Cindy Rae.
Oh well. The idea of coffee grounds in concrete sounded good in theory. I won’t ask “how do people think of this stuff?” Too bad it isn’t cost effective with the required processing of the coffee.
Let’s see if they can adjust the financial costs, Alana. It would be very good for Australia if they could.
That sounds like a good idea! Making the concrete stronger and not needing to use sand are both great benefits. Hopefully, there is a way to resolve the cost.
Let’s see if they can do that, Jeanine.