Kathmandu. In New York City, USA, science has done a miracle. The skyscraper under construction in Midtown Manhattan has incorporated millions of used glass bottles into its structural support.
The project shows how urban waste can replace carbon-intensive building materials on a large commercial scale. Workers have used special concrete containing crushed recycled glass on the foundations and floor slabs of JPMorgan Chase’s new 60-story headquarters at 270 Park Avenue.
By replacing 40 percent of traditional Portland cement with discarded glass pozzolán, the project has saved 29 million discarded glass bottles from going to landfill. According to engineers, this will make the concrete stronger. This change has saved more than 5,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions during construction.
Glass bottle used at JPMorgan Chess’s new headquarters
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According to reports, conventional cement production uses energy-intensive furnaces. This emits a large amount of greenhouse gases. This makes concrete one of the major sources of industrial emissions globally. According to a technical report by Concrete Products magazine, the project used a refined lead mixture in a 22 lakh sq ft tower. Which meets environmental targets and also meets stringent structural performance requirements.
Use of lead powder instead of cement
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Urban Mining Industries, a Connecticut-based company, produces cross lead called Pozotiv. It solves two environmental problems at once. Construction companies are looking for low-carbon building materials. Across North America, however, recycling programs often struggle to process glass bottles of different colors.
Often, used glass bottles are dumped in landfills. Urban Mining collects used bottles from local waste and processes them using a dry milling system without using any chemicals or water. This technology grinds the lead into a fine powder that does not contain dangerous crystalline silica.
2.9 million HQ built using recycled glass bottles{
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When this powder is added to the mixed concrete, the reactive silica in the ground glass reacts with calcium hydroxide (a mild byproduct of cement hydration). This chemical reaction converts it into dense calcium-silicate-hydrate, and the main compound gives its strength to the concrete.
Engineering analysis published in Structure Magazine showed that the addition of lead dust further increased the strength and durability of the concrete and also reduced the amount of moisture in the slab. – Agency
