New Delhi

In a major boost to India’s efforts to reduce the environment heating gases during manufacturing and other activities, the Civil engineering faculty at Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI) in Delhi, and Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) in Uttar Pradesh have developed an environmental friendly version of cement.

Dr Ibadur Rahman, Mohammad Arif, Professor Abdul Baqi, Dr M Shariq, Er Mohammad Gamal Al-Hagri, and Er Amer Saleh Ali Hasan are involved in the invention of what they call the green adhesive formula to replace cement in construction.

The invention will help in dealing with the scarcity of the cement and also promoting green  practices. The new adhesive material is created out of the waste such as fly ash and silica fumes

The industry sources say  the green adhesive can replace 5-20% of cement in the construction process in India.

Manufacturing of one tonne of cement can result in the release of up to 1,000 pounds of carbon dioxide. Cement that is the primary building material across the world is also the world's third-largest carbon dioxide emitter.

India produces 329 million tonnes  of cement in 2020, with projections of 381 mt in 2022While the world produces 8 billion tonnes of plastic, more than twice that amount of cement is produced every two years, according to a 2018 report by Chatham House (a London-based non-profit organisation) with the projection of  381 mt in 2022.

Four years ago, Dr Rahman began experimenting with and decoding nano-based modified cement and concrete composites..

Unfortunately, cement has become a critical ingredient in the construction of houses, roads, highways, embankments and so on. With growing population, there is an increasing need for housing and infrastructure. Thus, production levels will continue rising. Through our sustainable cement composite, we aim to reduce the use of the material, if not completely eliminate it, ” Dr Rehman told the Better India portal.

“This invention focuses on the effect of cement replacement with micro-silica fume, nano-silica fume and fly ash in a combination of two additives on the mechanical properties of the concrete mixes,” an official statement issued by the jamia Milia Islamia University said.

In September 2020, Dr Rahman was granted the patent titled “High Strength Cementitious Nanocomposite Compositions and the methods of making the same” by the intellectual property at the Patent Office, Delhi.