Use biochar to replace part of cement and blend it into mortar to reduce building carbon emissions

25 Aug 2024

To reduce the use of cement in construction, students from SP have incorporated biochar into mortar and other cementitious materials, promoting resource recycling. SP collaborated with Gee Hoe Seng Pte Ltd  to produce biochar by chemically treating materials like plastic, rice husks, and wood chips at high temperatures. This biochar is then mixed with cement to create mortar used in construction, thereby reducing the proportion of cement required. Dr Lim Zheng Bang, the research manager at the SP Advanced Materials Technology Centre, who is in charge of this research, pointed out that biochar is currently mainly used by the National Parks Board to produce fertiliser for waste recycling. He stated, "We hope that biochar can be better utilised in other fields. For example, using biochar as a sustainable building material in mortar not only reduces industrial waste but also offers more environmentally friendly material options for construction projects."

[Lianhe Zaobao]