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ANSWER
Aggregate
Following a normal growth in population, the amount and type of waste materials
have increased accordingly. Many of the non-decaying waste materials will remain in the
environment for hundreds, perhaps thousands of years. The non-decaying waste materials
cause a waste disposal crisis, thereby contributing to the environmental problems.
However, the environmental impact can be reduced by making more sustainable use of
this waste. This is known as the Waste Hierarchy. Its aim is to reduce, reuse, or recycle
waste, the latter being the preferred option of waste disposal.
Concrete :
Far more concrete is produced than any other man-made material. Annual production
represents one ton for every person on the planet.
It is incredibly versatile, and is used in almost all major construction projects.
Aggregates are used in concrete for very specific purposes. Aggregates typically
make up about 60% to 75% of the volume of a concrete mixture, and as they are the
least expensive of the materials used in concrete, the economic impact is significant.
80% of a buildings CO2 emissions are generated not by the production of the
materials used in its construction, but in the electric utilities of the building over its
life-cycle.
Compared to other comparable building materials, concrete is less costly to produce
and remains extremely affordable.
Construction wastes :
Research efforts has been done to match society’s need for safe and economic
disposal of waste materials.
The use of waste materials saves natural resources and dumping spaces, and helps to
maintain a clean environment.
The current concrete construction practice is thought unsustainable because, not only
it is consuming enormous quantities of stone, sand, and drinking water, but also two
billion tons a year of Portland cement, which releases green-house gases leading to
global warming.
Experiments has been conducted for waste materials like- rubber tyre, e-waste,
coconut shell, blast furnace slag, waste plastic, demolished concrete constituents,
waste water etc.
Construction waste recycle plants are now installed in various countries but they are
partly solution to the waste problems.
i. E-waste:
Electronic waste, abbreviated as e-waste is a non-biodegradable waste.
It consists of discarded old computers, TVs, refrigerators, radios – basically
any electrical or electronic appliance that has reached its end of life.
The e waste in India for the year 2005 has been estimated to be 146180.00
tones.
Traditional landfill or stockpile method is not an environmental friendly
solution and the disposal process is also very difficult to meet EPA
(Environmental Protection Agency) regulations.
ii. Rubber Tire waste
Discarded vehicle tires constitute one important part of solid waste which had
historically been disposed of into landfills.
Recycled waste-tire rubber have been used in different application. It has been
used as a fuel for cement kiln, as feedstock for making carbon black, and as
artificial reefs in marine environment.
Rubber can used in the form of chipped or crumbed.
1. It is identified that all wastes used here can be disposed by using them as
construction materials.
2. Cubes with 5% rubber tire replacement had given good strength with elongated
pieces. Therefore, lower concentrations are recommended.
3. Waste and recycling management plans should be developed in order to sustain
environmental, economic and social development of nation.
4. Coconut shell has high water absorption capacity. So, concrete mix design should
be done accordingly.
5. The specific gravity of all the waste materials are quite similar.
6. Vast potential of saving the natural beds of stones and boulders which are
currently used as main source of aggregates can be reduced significantly.
7. Light weight construction units can be made by using these wastes.
8. It also reduces the cost of construction when used in bulk.
Limitation
Timber or Lumber
Lumber or timber is wood that has been processed into beams and planks, a stage
in the process of wood production. Lumber may also refer to currently un-needed
furniture, as in Lumber room, or an awkward gait, ultimately derived from the look of
unfashionable and unwanted furniture. Lumber is mainly used for structural purposes but
has many other uses as well. It is classified more commonly as a softwood than as a
hardwood, because 80% of lumber comes from softwood.
Malaysia Timber
Malaysia is a country well known for its tropical timber forests and for its trading
and relationships with many European countries. It has 25.9 million hectares of land in
which 32.83 million hectares are covered with tropical rain forest and trees. They bathe in
sunshine and showers with rainfall throughout the year. It is covered by huge rain forest
and produces a huge of high quality of tropical timbers. These timbers are widely used in
residential and commercial properties. Timbers are cater for interior decking, joinery,
moldings and other wooden furniture products.
Strength - wood is physically strong, inflexible and generally has a high compressive
strength.
Durability - wood has a very long lasting quality.
Wood and water - wood is hygroscopic, which means it acts like a sponge, soaks up
water and swells up under wet conditions, but when the temperature rises and the air
is dry, wood releases the stored-up water.
Wood and energy - wood is a relatively good heat insulator but a poor conductor of
electricity, wood is also effective in absorbing sound, produces a great deal of heat
energy when dry wood burns and wood is good for making musical instruments when
it’s designed to transmit and amplify sounds.
Environmentally friendly - wood is a natural material and is environmentally friendly
and trees naturally remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere
i. Heavy Hardwoods
Balau/Selangan Batu - Shorea spp.
Balau,Red/Selangan/Batu Merah - Shorea spp.
Belian - Eusideroxylon zwageri
Bitis - Madhuca utilis
Chengal - Neobalanocarpus heimil
Giam - Hopea spp.
Kekatong - Cynometra spp.
Karanji - Dialium spp.
Malagangai - Eusideroxzlon malagangai
Merbau - Intsis palembanica
Penaga - Mesua ferrea
Penyau - Upuna borneensis
Resak - Vatica spp.
Tembusu - Fagraea fragrans.
ii. Medium Hardwoods
Alan batu - Shorea albida
Bekak - Amoora spp.
Derum - Cratoxylum spp.
Entapuloh - Teijsmanniodendro spp.
Geriting/Teruntum - Lumnitzera spp.
Kandis - Garcinia spp.
Kapur - Dryobalanops spp.
Kasai - Pometia spp.
Kayu Malam- Diospyros spp.
Kelat - Eugenin spp.
Keledang - Artocarpus spp.
Kempas - Koompassia malaccensis
With over 58 per cent of its land area under natural forest, Malaysia is home to over
2,650 species, many of which are of commercial importance. Malaysia's location in the tropics
means that its trees have 365 growing days in a year. This allows the trees ample time to grow
and develop without seasonal interruptions. Apart from its intrinsic beauty, wood is highly
versatile, has good insulation properties and is strong yet easy to use. Malaysia has an endless
selection of timbers from which to choose. Malaysian timbers have been utilised in various
applications, including interior designs. The multitude of colours available represents an artist’s
palette, enabling an endless expression of creativity.
3) Ready Mixed Concrete
Ready-mix concrete is often preferred over on-site concrete mixing because of the
precision of the mixture and reduced work site confusion. Ready-mix concrete, or RMC
as it is popularly called, refers to concrete that is specifically manufactured for delivery to
the customer's construction site in a freshly mixed and plastic or unhardened state.
Concrete itself is a mixture of Portland cement, water and aggregates comprising sand
and gravel or crushed stone. Ready-mix concrete is bought and sold by volume - usually
expressed in cubic meters (cubic yards in the US).
i. The materials are batched at a central plant, and the mixing begins at that plant, so
the traveling time from the plant to the site is critical over longer distances. Some
sites are just too far away, however the use of admixtures like retarder can be
added.
ii. Furthermore, access roads and site access have to be able to carry the greater
weight of the ready-mix truck plus load. This problem can be overcome by
utilizing so-called 'mini mix' companies which use smaller 4m³ capacity mixers
able to reach more-restricted sites.
iii. Concrete's limited time span between mixing and curing means that ready-mix
should be placed within 210 minutes of batching at the plant. Modern admixtures
can modify that time span precisely, however, so the amount and type of
admixture added to the mix is very important.
i. As the Ready Mixed Concrete is not available for placement immediately after
preparation of concrete mix, loss of workability occurs. In addition, there are
chances of setting of concrete if transit time involved is more. Therefore,
generally admixture like plasticisers/ super plasticisers and retarders are used.
Addition of retarders may delay the setting time substantially which may cause
placement problems. In addition, it may also affect the strength of concrete.
Therefore, it is necessary that the admixtures i.e. plasticisers and super
plasticisers/ retarders used in Ready Mixed Concrete are properly tested for their
suitability with the concrete. In case loss of strength is observed, the characteristic
strength may have to be enhanced so that after loss of strength, required
characteristic strength is available.
ii. Because of large quantity of concrete available in short span, special placing and
form work arrangement are required to be made in advance.
A centralized concrete batching plant can serve a wide area. Site-mix trucks can
serve an even larger area including remote locations that standard trucks can not.
The plants are located in areas zoned for industrial use, and yet the delivery trucks
can service residential districts or inner cities. Site-mix trucks have the same
capabilities.