What is Ashcrete?- Advantages & disadvantages of Ashcrete.

 1. What is Ashcrete?

The name Ashcrete is a shorter version of the concrete made of fly ash & other constituents. This is environment-friendly material as it consumes landfill materials like fly ash & bottom ash.

Ashcrete is a substitute for conventional concrete, having greater advantages over concrete in some of its properties.

In some countries, Ashcrete is also called by the name Eco concrete, as it helps to save the ecology of our Earth.

2. What material is Ashcrete?

Ashcrete is made of fly ash, bottom ash, borate & chlorine compounds. Around 95% of materials used in making Ashcrete are waste byproducts, that otherwise would have ended up in landfilling.

Class C or class F type fly ash is utilized in making Ashcrete. Sometimes, a small amount of lime is used to stabilize the fly ash, if it is acidic in nature.

Go through the article 👇

👀. What is fly ash? - Where do we use fly ash in construction? 

3. What are the advantages & disadvantages of Ashcrete?

Advantages:

◆.  Low permeability:

Fly ash is a fine material that compacts beautifully, having negligible voids or pores in between. This property makes the Ashcrete to be impervious in nature.

◆. Less water:

Ashcrete consumes less water at the time of mixing & preparation. The mixture provides better workability & easiness while handling them.

 ◆. Lower bleeding:

When compared to regular concrete, the overall bleeding of Ashcrete is very low.  This helps to finish the material having a smooth surface. 

 ◆. Environment friendly: 

Ashcrete consumes landfilling waste materials which are harmful to the life of plants & animals. When compared to conventional concrete, the emission of CO2 gas is minimal.

 ◆. Higher resistance to chemical reactions:

Ashcrete has a higher resistance to the penetration of chloride & other chemical compounds. This in turn reduces the corrosion of steel.

Disadvantages:

◆. Slower strength gain:

Ashcrete needs more time to set & become harder. Due to this, Ashcrete is not a preferred choice where rapid hardening is needed.

◆. Possible health risks:

Fly ash contains heavy metals & toxic elements in its composition. There is an increased chance of health risks as we use fly ash in its manufacturing process. 

◆. Climatic limitations:

Ashcrete is not suitable for colder climatic conditions. It takes much longer time for the initial & final setting time.  

To go through the articles on building materials used in construction, click here.

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