KOLLAM: At a time when Kerala is grappling with the growing construction and demolition waste crisis, a team of engineers from Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham has developed a sustainable solution that could transform the state's construction practices. The researchers emphasized that dumping of waste from construction and demolition projects has caused serious environmental problems. In the Marad area of Ernakulam alone, demolition of high-rise buildings generated nearly 90 tonnes of concrete waste, much of which ended up in landfills or along water bodies.
To address this problem, Vishnu Vijayan, a research scientist at Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham and dean of Baselios Mathews College of Engineering, Sasthamcotta, along with Mini KM and Sanjay Kumar Shukla of Edith Cowan University, Australia, introduced the mud dipping technique to eliminate low-quality recycled materials upgrading aggregates.
The method improves the strength and durability of recycled materials, making them suitable for new construction projects. “Our approach ensures that discarded materials can be returned to the construction cycle without sacrificing quality. This can help reduce the carbon footprint of the construction industry while reducing costs and promoting green construction practices,” said Vishnu Vijayan.