Engineers produce 30% stronger concrete: Hidden ingredient may surprise

According to a study published in the Journal of Cleaner Production, Australian engineers have produced concrete that is 30% stronger. Popular Mechanics writes that the secret ingredient in it is coffee, or rather used coffee grounds.

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Waste coffee grounds (SGCs) are the coffee industry’s largest by-product and fill landfills around the world. Australian scientists pursued two goals:

• reducing the amount of environmentally damaging OCG and even preventing it from entering landfills;
• create stronger concrete by adding JCG there.

If the initial problem has not been solved yet, the engineers have succeeded in creating more durable concrete. Scientists believe that the addition of JAG can also limit environmental degradation caused by the use of natural sand found in concrete.

It is now known that the decomposition of OKG in landfills releases methane and carbon dioxide that accompany climate change. So the scientists produced biochar from coffee grounds, which actually increased the strength of the concrete by 30%.

55 billion tons of natural sand is used each year in the production of concrete, because the surface of its particles provides a large surface area for the bonding of water and cement. Unfortunately, this sand is often mined from river beds and banks, causing environmental disturbances. Scientists say replacing the sand with used coffee grounds can fix this problem right away.

Scientists heated coffee beans to temperatures between 350 and 500 degrees Celsius before subjecting them to pyrolysis, which breaks down organic matter into smaller components. In this case, biochar, a substance similar to charcoal, is formed.

This biochar was also heated at different temperatures and then incorporated in various percentages into Portland cement (one of the most commonly used cement types) so that OCG can replace natural sand.

The scientists analyzed the resulting mixtures after pouring them into molds and drying them at room temperature for a day. It turns out that biochar, heated to 350 degrees Celsius and replacing 15% of natural sand in cement, makes concrete 30% stronger.

Now the engineers are planning a large-scale test and will try to draw attention to the concrete manufacturers’ progress.

As I already wrote FocusScientists have invented a “concrete battery” that can power an entire house. The researchers want the homes of the future to act as a kind of capacitor to store energy. 45 cubic meters is enough to store 10 kilowatt-hours of energy.