Low Cost Concrete Block: A Sustainable Solution to Construction Industry

Abstract

In India, construction industry is growing at a fast pace. To fulfill the demand of infrastructure sector, large amounts of building materials are required. As major portion of this construction material is taken by conventional materials; the cost is increasing. At the same time, this is also responsible for depletion of the resources. An effort has been made to give an alternative solution to both the problems. In the present context, cement and fine aggregates are replaced with waste materials like, fly ash, stone dust and foundry sand. Using these waste materials in different proportions, hollow concrete blocks of M15 mix design were successfully made. The financial viability of setting up a manufacturing plant using the waste and conventional materials was checked. It was found that the plant can start generating revenue after seventh quarter. This study shows the potential need to set up the manufacturing plant to meet the demand of construction industry, save the conventional resources providing solution for waste disposal and cost-effective building material.
Keywords: Low cost concrete, construction industry, building materials