Bursa Uludağ University (BUU) Faculty of Engineering, Department of Civil Engineering Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ali Mardani has developed a project that reduces the greenhouse gas emitted in cement production by 20 percent.

BUU Faculty of Engineering Civil Engineering Department Faculty Member Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ali Mardani has developed a project that reduces greenhouse gas emitted in cement production by 20 percent, strengthens concrete and prevents rusting of iron thanks to the ability of cement to bind chlorine ions, and extends the service time of concrete.

Stating that they developed such a project because they thought that the European Green Deal, which aims to reduce greenhouse gases by 50 percent, would affect the building materials sector, in which Turkey ranks 2nd in Europe, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Mardani said, “Approximately 9 percent of the greenhouse gases emitted in the world are generated during cement production. Approximately 1.2 tons of raw materials are burned for the production of one ton of cement. These are limestone, limestone and clay materials. Approximately 130 kilowatt-hours of energy is consumed for this combustion process. At the end of all these processes, about one ton of carbon dioxide is produced. We thought about how we can reduce the greenhouse gas produced during these processes. Because Turkey ranks 2nd in Europe in the production of building materials. If we do not reduce this greenhouse gas, different taxes will be applied to our country.”

Explaining the details of the project, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ali Mardani said: “The additive we produced within the scope of the project is a grinding facilitator additive. This additive is used by all cement factories. However, we have modified this additive by binding organic acids. Thus, this additive increases efficiency by acting as a grinding facilitator and has water cutting properties. It also prevents rusting by binding chlorine ions to itself. Thanks to this additive, we achieve approximately 20 percent energy efficiency in the cement production process and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 20 percent. The water-cutting feature of this concrete is also important for its spread. Normally, to achieve this, we need to use admixtures to make the concrete fluid, which is a cost. Since the admixture we synthesized also has this feature, the need for water-reducing agents is reduced. This both reduces the cost and enables us to produce better quality concrete thanks to its water-reducing properties. Thanks to this substance, the aging of concrete is delayed as our concrete has finer particles.”

Stating that a significant part of the destruction in earthquakes is caused by rusting rebar due to chlorine, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Mardani said that the substance they developed will prevent chlorine from reaching the iron and added, “This concrete has the ability to bind chlorine ions to itself. In the recent earthquakes we have experienced, we have seen that one of the biggest causes of destruction was the rusting of iron. Especially in areas close to the sea, chlorine-induced rusting was very high. While developing this material, we wondered how we prevented chlorine-induced rusting. With the support of our chemistry professors in our team, we revised this additive a little more and gave it the potential to bind with chlorine. When chlorine leaks into the concrete, this material binds chlorine to itself and prevents chlorine from reaching the iron. Thus, rusting is delayed or prevented and the life of the concrete is increased. With the increase in the service life of concrete, disasters are reduced, even if only a little, concrete lasts longer economically, and we prevent environmental pollution.”