Concrete Made from Sunflowers

May-09-13 Sunflower husks may find a new use as a source of crack-resistant concrete, reducing the rising problem of dealing with food industry waste while also easing the energy drain of manufacturing concrete.

Concrete is an extremely resource intensive material, and scientists have experimented with a variety of fillers to help bulk it out. According to a team in Turkey, sunflower hulls, which reduce the density of the concrete while also increasing its resistance to cracking in ice/thaw conditions, could be a viable option. Concrete made using the sunflower hulls varied in density depending upon the proportion of the hulls, but the team believes the material would best be used to construct simple, one-story buildings.

Turkey is the ninth largest producer of sunflower seeds in the world.

Image: Niki Michailov

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[GIZMAG.COM]
[ALPHA GALILEO]

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