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SOON, undersea infrastructure construction will be seeing a new fad, this time one that actively pushes and expands the revitalization of marine resources.
The world’s leading cement and construction manufacturer will conduct actual seawater tests to explore the use of construction aggregates and concrete, made from cement, for the construction or potential reconstruction of coral reefs.
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That means it won’t involve the typical practice of stitching and wiring discarded tires together to create an artificial reef structure, a method that has proven to be toxic in Philippine waters.
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In February, the first artificial reef structure will be submerged undersea off the coast of Medina, Misamis Oriental, to restore or reconstruct the rich coral reef system in the area.
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Zoe Sibala, chief sustainability officer of Holcim Philippines, said the aggregates are bioactive concrete specifically designed by the manufacturer for marine construction.
This is possible with the active decarbonizing program of the Holcim Group, which has already led to the manufacture of new cement products with low carbon emission, or none at all.
Sibala said the company would also construct artificial reef structure in Mati, Davao Oriental.
“We are exploring two areas in Mindanao to promote the natural development of coral reefs using these bioactive concrete,” she said during the launching of Holcim Philippines’ Innovation Hub in Davao City on Tuesday.
Sibala said the bioactive concrete would also be suited for coastal protection and prevent further erosion of the coastal areas. Bioactive concrete is actually designed for marine infrastructure and thus, would be the best material to construct ports and bridges.
“With the sharp deterioration of the Coral Triangle, Holcim would like to contribute this new innovation to revive marine biodiversity,” she said.
Decarbonization
THE introduction of bioactive concrete specifically designed for marine construction is part of the array of new cement products in the market today that Holcim Philippines has offered to the construction industry. Their main feature is the reduction of carbon emission, one of the greenhouse gases (GHG) and the biggest source of ozone-depleting compounds.
Some of the new cement products were already introduced in the last two years.
Aside from the decarbonization of its new cement product lines, the Holcim company would also help the urban landscape with “more efficient and cost-effective buildings and help owners and occupants reduce their energy consumption.”
Ramakhrisna Maganti, head of Holcim’s infrastructure and industrial sales, said the company has developed another new cement product that has the characteristic of permeability to allow water to seep down back to the soil.
This is suited for road infrastructure in places that always suffer from flood during heavy downpour.
Maganti said the company has three major efforts to help address the climate crisis: reduce carbon emission, make buildings more energy efficient and encourage recycling of construction materials and the fuel to produce cement.
Fuel efficiency
THE company has also adapted recycling and the reuse of materials and waste to further up its ante in environmental-friendly pursuit of new products and services.
In the last five years, it has tapped solid waste for fuel and has been acquiring agricultural and municipal waste to help it wean away from using coal and fossil fuels for its operation.
It has worked with local governments to acquire their waste and has been successfully done in Pampanga, Bulacan and Manila areas around its Bulacan plant, said Sam Manlosa, head of Holcim’s Geocycle Philippines.
He said this recycling for fuel use would be used next in the Davao City plant.
2030 compliance
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HORIA ADRIAN, president and CEO of Holcim Philippines, said the Holcim Group would strive to meet the 2030 climate-change targets in the Paris Agreement to substantially reduce global GHG emissions.
Citing the waste acquisition to be used for its fuel, Adrian told reporters that the manufacturer would strive to comply with reduced emission of GHG. He said the first batch of actions had been done by shifting to new fuel alternatives other than diesel, coal and other fossil fuels.
He mentioned that the innovation hub established in Davao City would serve as a connection point for consumers and construction partners to explore the advancements made by the manufacturer in developing new products with lower carbon emissions.
The innovation hub, he said, is a hive of ideas to come up with products that suit the specific needs of clients. “These new products are designed for specific uses to help clients in their construction project optimize the use of cement, prevent wastage.”
“We would ensure that our products assist our clients in coming up with more efficient building structures that aid in better energy conservation,” he said.
Holcim Philippines said it opened its innovation hub in its Davao plant to cement its upgrade to being the country’s leading building solutions provider and to advance as well its banner program on providing decarbonized cement and aggregate products in the market.
The innovation hub is linked to Holcim Group’s research center in Lyon, France, and Holcim Philippines said it wanted to showcase several innovations of its traditional cement products. These include cement that allows water to percolate to the ground and superior masonry feature to cement aggregates from demolished structures that could be recycled as new construction aggregates and new cement material.
A video presentation during the launching of the hub here on Tuesday said the Lyon, France, innovation hub has a group of researchers to design and formulate new products. Some 15 countries are now connected or have links to this main innovation center.
Top-ranking company officials launched the hub on Tuesday as they also disclosed that the improved and innovated products have low carbon emission or none at all.
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