Laboratory Equipment reports on byproduct of the sugar industry that happens to make a more effective, environmentally friendly cement:
New research from the Niels Bohr Institute shows that cement made with waste ash from sugar production is stronger than ordinary cement. The research shows that the ash helps to bind water in the cement so that it is stronger, can withstand higher pressure and crumbles less.
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“I have been studying cement using quasi-elastic neutron scattering for several years and researchers from Brazil asked whether I wanted to analyze samples of cement mixed with waste products in the form of sugar cane ash. I decided to say yes to the project, which aimed to investigate the properties on a nanoscale and map the mobility of water in the cement. The quality and strength of cement is directly related to how much of the water is chemically bonded. The more the water can move around, the worse it is for the strength and durability,” explains Heloisa Bordallo, who does research in nanophysics at the Niels Bohr Institute at the Univ. of Copenhagen.
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Cement typically takes a week to solidify. After one month, 70 percent of the process has been completed, but the process continues for many years. Ordinary cement is generally stronger during the first few months than the ash cement, but after a year the ash cement is stronger than the ordinary cement.