For many people reading this post, it is entirely possible you will be alive to witness a time when are out of practical sources of natural sand to use in construction. That being said, construction will not just stop once we have depleted our natural sources of sand—we will not just run out of concrete.
Alternatives made from recycled materials --- like ferrock, ashcrete, timber create, and hempcrete --- tend to require less carbon than concrete and also help to recycle waste materials like steel dust and chaff.
The cement industry is one of the main producers of carbon dioxide, a potent greenhouse gas. Concrete causes damage to the most fertile layer of the earth, the topsoil. Concrete is used to create hard surfaces which contribute to surface runoff that may cause soil erosion, water pollution and flooding.
While there are significant resources being pooled into research and development of these alternatives, it is unlikely that concrete will be replaced as the number one choice of construction companies in the near future.
Currently there are 43 states experiencing a concrete shortage due to a limited supply of cementitious materials (cement, slag cement and fly ash) available to produce concrete.
What is the maximum life of modern concrete? Generally, for large infrastructures, the lifespan of modern concrete is about 100 years if properly maintained.
Concrete can withstand high temperatures.
Aside from being able to withstand temperatures up to 900°, concrete is a poor conductor of heat, which means it is excellent in situations where fireproofing is required.
For large scale projects like buildings, concrete should last up to 100 years if it's properly cared for. Concrete projects that experience more wear-and-tear like sidewalks and driveways have an expected lifespan of about half that—50 years.
Carbonation is a slowly occurring process whereby concrete (in the presence of moisture) reacts with carbon dioxide in the air, thereby reducing the pH of the concrete. Over a century, the carbonation depth may be on the order of several inches depending on the quality of the concrete.
According to our analyses, the cement plant of the future could reduce emissions by up to 75 percent by 2050 compared with 2017. Around 20 percent will come from operational advances, such as energy-efficiency measures and clinker substitution.
The cement causes many issues: it is highly toxic, prompting eye, skin and respiratory tract irritation, and contains calcium oxide, corrosive to human tissue, and chromium, which can prompt severe allergic reactions.
Wood is a lightweight, strong building material with excellent insulating properties. Its ability to sequester carbon means wood is extremely sustainable, with concrete emitting 26% to 31% more greenhouse gas emissions than wood.
Alternatives made from recycled materials --- like ferrock, ashcrete, timber create, and hempcrete --- tend to require less carbon than concrete and also help to recycle waste materials like steel dust and chaff.
Geopolymer concrete—the economical, more durable, and environmentally friendly concrete with a carbon footprint of only about 10% of Portland cement.
Technically, concrete never stops curing. In fact, concrete gets stronger and stronger as time goes on.
Modern concrete—used in everything from roads to buildings to bridges—can break down in as few as 50 years. But more than a thousand years after the western Roman Empire crumbled to dust, its concrete structures are still standing.
The strength and longevity of Roman 'marine' concrete is understood to benefit from a reaction of seawater with a mixture of volcanic ash and quicklime to create a rare crystal called tobermorite, which may resist fracturing.
According to a recent colloquium at the Getty Center, the average life span of a conventionally built building (masonry and wood) is about 120 years. But for modernist buildings (reinforced concrete and glass curtain wall) it's half that: 60 years.
So, with that in mind, is steel stronger than concrete? Naturally, durability is going to be one of the first questions that come up with any construction material. Ultimately, steel wins out, but concrete is far from poor in this regard. Concrete structures are easily resistant to fire damage, wind damage, and pests.
A brick home lasts longer than concrete and is more durable than wood.
In concrete, this paste binds 'aggregate' - chunks of rock and sand. This aggregate has to be inert, because any unwanted chemical reaction can cause cracks in the concrete, leading to erosion and crumbling of the structures. This is why concrete doesn't have the longevity of natural rocks.
There are a few reasons why US homes are made of wood and bricks instead of concrete. The first reason is availability. The USA has vast forests to supply building materials. Second, history plays a large role in how people build their homes, as does American culture and style.
Concrete is the most consumed material in the world, and according to the Zurich Polytechnic, something like 900 billion tonnes of it have been cast since the beginning of the industrial revolution (the equivalent of pouring a 1-metre layer of concrete on the entirety of Iraq).
Cement manufacturing now accounts for at least 8 percent of all the world's CO2 emissions. In comparison, aviation accounts for about 2.8 percent of total global emissions, according to a 2020 report from the International Energy Agency.