(Matthew Du, NewsUSA Reporter) - Broken concrete from old buildings, roads, and demolition often end up in landfills as waste. These concrete aggregates are reusable, but the new structure needs excess water and materials to form a paste. Researchers from Flinders University and the University of Melbourne developed a more efficient method of concrete recycling by using graphene.
Graphene is a crystalline form of pure carbon that is derivable from graphite. Its attributes include toughness and flexibility. In the experiment, concrete aggregates were treated with graphene solutions of varying concentrations to create a material similar to conventional concrete. This novel method can improve concrete sustainability as graphene is easily obtained from the environment.