UniBeton was commissioned by the EcoSmart foundation to conduct a series of tests on high volume fly ash (HVFA) concretes – also known as EcoSmart Concrete – for use in the Emirates. The final report is a compilation of two phases of testing performed by UniBeton on low, medium and high strength concretes and the results are very favourable.
Testing showed that fly ash concretes can be designed to produce results equivalent or superior to high performance Portland cement and blended blast furnace slag cements in the UAE at a similar cost.
With correct mixes commercial high strength concretes were produced and 28 day strengths exceeding 97 MPa were reached with small additions of micro silica. Testing further found that fly ash concretes significantly decreased the heat generated by concrete during hydration which is a large concern due to the risk of cracking.
As a result of these tests a presentation was made by UniBeton at BATIMAT 2008 which extended the analysis of these results to investigate the environmental impacts of using HVFA concretes throughout the UAE. It was shown that if all concrete in the UAE was blended with 10% fly ash – a level at which there is no significant impact to performance, design or cost – over 3 million tonnes of CO2 would be saved. Further analysis revealed that EcoSmart concrete using 55% fly ash would result in almost 14 million tonnes of GHG savings and a further 1.5 million tonnes in water savings.
Unibeton, the largest concrete supplier in the United Arab Emirates, has partnered with EcoSmart in an effort to increase performance, cost savings and sustainability of concrete use in the UAE.