Research Projects

India, the second-largest cement producer globally, has a cement production capacity of 502 million tons per year in 2019 and 20 million tons per annum in the Financial Year 2020-2021. Portland cement production emits carbon dioxide and high amounts of kiln dust, causing pollution and health risks. While efforts have been made to reduce these effects through efficiency and process improvements, they release significant amounts of CO2 into the atmosphere. Coarse aggregate in concrete, which contributes to three-fourths of the volume of concrete, is becoming a depleting natural resource. By 2030, the Minerals Products Association predicts that 267 Metric tones of combined gravel will be needed annually to meet construction needs, with a cumulative demand of 3.2-3.8 billion tons of aggregates over the next 15 years. Research has been conducted to resolve these issues and develop Geopolymer concrete, which completely dispenses of cement and uses fly ash as a binder material. The geopolymer is made ambient curing, leaving no water requirement for curing. The research will also involve a detailed study on scrap steel coarse aggregate concrete, determining its mechanical, durability, and microstructural properties. A comparative cost analysis will be conducted to commercialize the product suitable for factory production.