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| CSIRO | SOLVE | Issue 3 - May 05 | |
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ARTICLE
BUILDING PRODUCTS:
Plastic Fantastic By REBECCA THYER
New fire-resistant, blast-resistant and acid-resistant building materials could be on the market within the next year. Geopolymers - ceramic-like, inorganic polymers produced at low temperatures - are an emerging class of engineering materials that have the potential to transform the building products industry. CSIRO Manufacturing and Infrastructure Technology (CMIT) researchers are working with industry partners to lead Australia into this new field of building innovation.
"Geopolymers can be used in all structural, panel and precast applications and ready mixes," he says. "Our work is concentrating on using them instead of cement and incorporating the technology into building products and coatings." The cost of using geopolymer-based building materials can be comparable to using existing materials, but the technical benefits are exponential. "Using geopolymers in industrial flooring, piping or coatings could help cut back on damage done through industrial spills, improving long-term performance, reducing capital or maintenance costs and perhaps helping to lower insurance costs," says Dr Sagoe-Crentsil. The environment could also benefit. For every one tonne of cement manufactured, one tonne of carbon dioxide is produced. However, geopolymer technology has the potential to reduce emissions by 80 per cent because high-temperature calcining is not needed. It also utilises fly ash, a waste product from power stations. CMIT's work in the area is twofold. It conducts fundamental research so that geopolymer technology can be better understood, and it tailors the technology to existing applications while also finding new ones. Dr Sagoe-Crentsil says some companies are expected to have products in the marketplace in the coming year. He admits the technology has yet to capture the imagination of the building industry because the transition from a well-established material such as cement to a novel one is difficult. And although CMIT and its commercial partners will be concentrating on construction and manufacturing ends, potential geopolymer uses are wide-ranging. They include waste encapsulation, marine structures, soil stabilisation, refractories, composites, fibres and textiles, conduits, fluid containment, adhesives, coatings, insulation and aggregates.
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Project leader Dr Kwesi Sagoe-Crentsil says geopolymers are not only fire-, blast- and acid-proof, they are also strong, castable, sprayable, extrudable and adhesive, making their uses almost limitless.
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