Nanotechnology for energy efficient building material embodied energy for the cement based building materials

Abstract EN

In the context of increasing the need to advance more energy efficiency in buildings, embodied energy for building materials consideration increasingly significant.

Embodied energy of building materials represent an important proportion of the whole energy consumed in the building through its lifecycle.

Cement as a key binder in concrete, is an energy-intensive substance and one of the biggest carbon dioxide producers in the environment.

Nanotechnology is a great scientific progress which promises a great reduction in energy and use less raw materials.

The main aim of this review paper is to present a state-of-the-art potential contribution of nanotechnology to reduce the embodied energy of the cement based building materials whether through the manufacture process; (Initial embodied energy) or by increasing the durability of concrete which associated to its life cycle; (Recurrent embodied energy).

Therefore the paper firstly, presents a literature review of the concept of energy efficiency of building materials, with respect to the embodied energy of cement based building materials, highlighting the production energy and the durability of the materials; then reviews the cement based building material (concrete); and finally discusses comparatively between the conventional and the nano cement based materials, the implications of using nanotechnology on the cementitious materials’ embodied energy.

Literature review showed that, nanotechnology can reduce embodied energy in two ways: first; incorporating nanomaterials such as zinc oxide nano-powder into the cement row mix, resulting in a reduction in both production energy used (initial embodied energy) and greenhouse gases emissions, and second; using nanotechnology helps in the production of more durable cement based materials which contributes to lower building maintenance (Recurring Embodied Energy)