Is Concrete Green?
Few driveway paving materials can match concrete when it comes to sustainability and conserving the environment. There are many reasons why. First off, unlike asphalt pavements that are made with nonrenewable petroleum supplies, concrete pavements are made from abundant, sustainable resources including water, natural rock and sand, and cement. The predominant raw material for the cement in concrete is limestone, the most abundant mineral on earth.
Secondly, your ready-mix supplier can make the concrete for your driveway using waste byproducts, which reduces the consumption of raw materials and keeps waste out of landfills. Fly ash, ground blast furnace slag and silica fume--all byproducts from power plants, steel mills and other industrial processes--are commonly used as partial cement replacements. You can also use recycled aggregates in the concrete mix and reinforcing steel that has a high recycled content.
The third environmental benefit is that concrete saves energy by reflecting light. Concrete is naturally brighter and more reflective than asphalt, saving energy by reducing the need for lighting at night. Up to 27% of light falling on a concrete surface will be reflected, compared with as little as 5% of light from asphalt pavements. In addition, light-colored paving materials help reduce the heat-island effect in urban areas.
The fourth benefit is that concrete lasts longer. A properly installed concrete driveway should last for many decades and at least two or three times longer than an asphalt driveway. Because concrete driveways don't need to be replaced or resurfaced as often, fewer raw materials are consumed over the life of the pavement.
Finally concrete can be recycled. If your concrete driveway ever needs to be replaced, it can be crushed and recycled. The material from your recycled driveway can then be used as granular fill, as a base course for a new pavement, or as aggregate in new concrete.
Be sure to check out our other entries in the concrete blog here.
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