Ultra High-Performance Concrete (UHPC)

• 12 Jul 2024

Why in News?

According to the sources, The Uttar Pradesh public works department (PWD) will have a tie-up with IIT-Kanpur to develop ultra high-performance concrete (UHPC) after research and development.

Key Points

• Currently, M60 cement grade is used in most civil works in the state.
• UHPC, which has a longer shelf life and can be 4-6 times stronger than M60 grade, and can significantly reduce the department's carbon footprint.
  • This reduction would be achieved by using thinner sections and lower deck heights during the construction of bridges, flyovers, elevated roads, railway overbridges, and other concrete-intensive infrastructure projects.
  • The product, developed using nanotechnology, is expected to be ready in three years.

Carbon Footprint

• According to the World Health Organization (WHO), a carbon footprint is a measure of the impact people’s activities have on the amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) produced through the burning of fossil fuels and is expressed as a weight of CO2 emissions produced in tonnes.
• It is usually measured as tons of CO2 emitted per year, a number that can be supplemented by tons of CO2-equivalent gases, including methane, nitrous oxide, and other greenhouse gases.
• It can be a broad measure or be applied to the actions of an individual, a family, an event, an organization, or even an entire nation.