Pre-consumer (also called “post-industrial”) recycling refers to the reuse of industrial by-products, as distinguished from material that has been in consumer use. The iron-ore slag used to make mineral wool insulation and the fly ash used to make concrete are examples of post-industrial recycled materials. While post-consumer recycled content is preferable, a product that uses pre-consumer content or recycles a seldom-used waste product, especially in an area where recycled products are hard to find, can be considered green.
Excluded from this category, by FTC definitions, is the use of scrap within the same manufacturing process from which it was generated—material that would typically have gone back into the manufacturing process anyway.
GranCem Cement
GranCem® cement, part of the Envirocore™ family of environmentally-friendly products, is a finely ground granulated blast-furnace slag (GGBFS) that typically replaces a portion of the portland cement in mixtures.
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These products are environmentally attractive because they need to be replaced less frequently or their maintenance has very low impact, both of which can reduce costs as well as environmental impact.
Robust answers on typical service life of products can be hard to come by, however. In GreenSpec we reserve this criterion for products where the material is clearly more durable than alternatives, such as an exceptionally traffic-resistant polyurethane floor finish. We refer to standardized tests for durability when they are available and appropriate.
We also consider “appropriate durability”: long life is more important in a building envelope than in interior finish materials that will be replaced for aesthetic reasons. Here, reduced maintenance can be particularly important. An example is resilient flooring that doesn’t require regular waxing: an unnecessary use of resources and a health hazard.
GranCem® cement, part of the Envirocore™ family of environmentally-friendly products, is a finely ground granulated blast-furnace slag (GGBFS) that typically replaces a portion of the portland cement in mixtures. Concrete made with GranCem as part of the mix design is typically whiter, and the colors are brighter than concrete made with portland cement. GranCem cement used with portland cement produces more calcium silicate hydrate binder than portland cement alone, which can increase the concrete's compressive strength and durability. The cement blend can be designed to be more resistant to sulfate attack and alkali-silica reaction than pure portland cement.
03 30 00: Cast-in-Place Concrete
Concrete is an integral component of our buildings and infrastructure but production of its key ingredient, portland cement, is a major source of the world’s anthropogenic carbon dioxide emissions and can also lead to emissions other hazardous byproducts such as mercury and nitrogen oxides.
The environmental footprint and performance of concrete can be improved by replacing a portion of the portland cement with fly ash, ground granulated blast furnace slag, silica fume, rice husks, or other supplementary cementitious materials. Recycled concrete, glass, and slag can be used to reduce the impact of mining of virgin aggregate and the amount of construction material sent to landfills. Lightweight aggregate can lower the weight of the structure and some can provide thermal insulation.
Products listed by GreenSpec incorporate recycled content, have improved durability, provide insulation, or have other innovative environmental qualities.
LEED Credits
MRc4: Recycled Content
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Manufacturer Information
Holcim (US), Inc.
201 Jones Rd., Ste. 200
Waltham, MA
Toll-Free: 866-465-2460
www.holcim.us
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