Solar Thermal Power Plant
February 16, 2023
Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Madras, have come up with a method to recycle waste concrete with the help of solar thermal energy. Two of the 770 solar concentrators at the India One Solar Thermal Power Plant in Rajasthan were used for the demonstration of the recycling process.
Waste concrete from demolition and construction debris was heated with the help of large reflectors of the solar concentrators. Recycled concrete aggregate (RCA), which could be used in place of sand and blue metal, was generated by scrubbing the material mechanically. The concrete produced with the help of this solar energy-based process was superior in quality and the process did not produce any toxic by-products.
Did You Know?
The word ‘concrete’ is derived from the Latin word ‘concretus’, which means ‘to grow together’.
