New Zealand Commercial Design Trends Series NZ Commercial Design Trends Vol. 30/12 | Page 114

SECTOR REPORT BUILDING & CONSTRUCTION

CONCRETE REVOLUTION
Carbon nanotube-enriched concrete can be used to explore a whole new range of
design possibilities – Greg Solomon, Eden Energy executive chairman

Imagine a modern high-rise building with no
steel. Sound implausible? Not any longer, thanks
to carbon nanotube technology (CNT). While cost
is still a major factor, the technology now exists to
develop very high strength, ultra-low permeability
concrete that requires little or possibly no steel
reinforcing.
Eden Energy, an Australian listed company,
has worked with Monash University to develop a
suitable CNT-enriched liquid mixture that Eden will
manufacture, which can be added to concrete to
make it tougher and stronger. Eden will commence
its first US commercial trial of CNT-enriched
concrete during late 2014, and start Australian trials
in 2015 with a major global concrete company to
test a range of applications.
Some anticipated benefits of CNT-enriched
concrete include tougher, more abrasion-resistant
concrete for roading, bridges, airport runways,
warehouse floors, car parks and other heavy
usage areas. It would be especially suited to areas
where the concrete surface is exposed to abrasive
cleaning, such as the use of snow ploughs, which
produces excessive wear and high maintenance

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costs. Because these applications generally do not
require much, if any, flexural strength, this is likely
to be the initial market for the new concrete. It will
require testing only of the compressive strength,
and it is hoped that a commercial product could
be available late in 2015 or early in 2016 when the
initial trials are completed.
High-rise applications
Stronger concrete suitable for high-rise buildings
that requires less concrete and steel reinforcing (or
perhaps even none) could produce lighter, stronger
structures with smaller footings, thinner slabs and
narrower columns.
Significantly denser, far less permeable concrete,
due to the increased density of the cement gel,
would greatly reduce the gradual absorption of
saline water, making it highly suited to a wide range
of harsh marine and coastal applications, especially
if steel reinforcing is not required. The stronger,
lighter and less permeable concrete would also be
well suited for use in dam walls and spillways, and
water and sewer pipes for large-scale infrastructure
projects.

Above:The technology now
exists to manufacture concrete
that is 200-300 times stronger
than steel, says Eden Energy
executive chairman Greg
Solomon.
Below and right:A dramatic
spiral concrete staircase is
a feature of spectacular Dali
Museum in Florida. In future
such constructions may be able
to be built entirely from concrete
without the need for reinforcing
steel, which will enhance design
flexibility and speed up the
construction process.