Welcome to Arun C. Emmanuel, postdoc who will research the reuse of bottom ash in cement.
Arun Emmanuel has a PhD in civil engineering and has previously been a researcher in the project that developed LC3 cement (limestone calcined clay cement). His primary research focus is on building materials.
Arun C. Emmanuel's background:
Arun has a bachelor's degree in civil engineering from the National Institute of Technology, Calicut, a master's degree in 'Building Technology and Construction Management' from the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, and a PhD in civil engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi.
Before his postdoc position at NMBU, he worked at ULCCS Ltd. in Kerala (India), a cooperative company in the infrastructure and construction sector, where he led the technology, training, and research departments in the organization.
– As the head of technology and research, I have initiated several projects to value waste materials. This includes using plastic sheets from plastic waste for concrete surfacing work, utilizing laterite waste from mines in construction, and recycling construction and demolition waste, Arun explains.
He has also previously been a senior project researcher in the international collaboration between leading research institutes in India, Switzerland, and Cuba, which led to the development of Limestone Calcined Clay Cement, LC3, a low-carbon cement.
The postdoctoral research:
In Norway, approximately 2 million tons of solid waste are incinerated each year. When solid waste is burned at high temperatures in the incineration plant, various residual products are generated. The heavier, most significant part of this residual product settles at the bottom of the combustion chamber and is called bottom ash, or MSWIBA.
Bottom Ash as a Resource
– Norway alone produces approximately 300,000 tons of bottom ash per year. Although some recycling techniques are used to utilize bottom ash, these methods, primarily used to recover metals, can only cover a very small portion of the bottom ash, and the remaining portion is considered waste and is sent to landfill.
Bottom ash contains significant amounts of fractions that can potentially be used to develop binding materials for construction, such as cement, alkali-activated binders, cement additives, or the production of building material products like Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (AAC) blocks.
Environmental and economic benefits
– My research focuses on increasing the utilization of bottom ash as a binder in concrete from an industrial perspective, without compromising national environmental regulations. The conventional production process for cement, a component of concrete, is one of the largest sources of greenhouse gas emissions.
The cement industry accounts for about 8% of global CO2 emissions. Replacing part of the cement with bottom ash has environmental, economic, and social benefits. It reduces CO2 emissions, decreases the consumption of natural resources, and integrates waste materials into the economy.
– I aim to find solutions that can bring bottom ash in Norway into a circular economy. I want to establish the industrial feasibility of using bottom ash in the cement and concrete industry, possibly with minimal changes to the process, thereby contributing to Norwegian society's efforts for sustainability.
Collaboration with earthresQue Partners
The research project is conducted in collaboration with Stena Recycling, Lindum, NOAH, NCCE, Perpetuum, Borregaard, and Eydeklyngen.
Gudny Okkenhaug and Professor Helen Kristine French, earthresQue centre leader, supervise the project. Industry partners, particularly Inge Johansson from NOAH and Geir Sørensen from Stena Recycling, provide ongoing support and advice, Arun explains.
– We are very pleased to have Arun on the team. He has extensive experience working with alternative materials for cement and is highly qualified for the task he has in earthresQue, where bottom ash is to wholly or partially replace cement in concrete, says Gudny Okkenhaug, theme leader on bottom ash and deputy leader of earthresQue SFI.
Gudny Okkenhaug
Deputy, earthresQue SFI
Arun C. Emmanuel
Postdoc, earthresQue SFI