May 2014 Financial News

Cement going green (Barbados)

May 19, 2014

Thirty-five per cent cost savings is what Barbados stands to gain from implementing soil-cement stabilisation technology as an alternative to asphalt for road construction.

Not only does the sound of cement under the wheels of our vehicle translate to economic savings, but according to Avaleen Mooloo, Group Civil Engineer (GCE) for the Trinidad Cement Limited Group, new technologies in the cement industry are now in keeping with the evolution of “green and sustainable engineering” and fare better under extreme weather conditions, such as hurricanes, floods and earthquakes.

Mooloo, one of the presenters at the Placemaking Caribbean Urban Forum 2014 Conference held last week at the Accra Hotel and Spa Resort, told reporters that TCL, through its subsidiary company Arawak Cement Limited was currently in talks with the Government of Barbados to get them the buy into the use of soil-cement stabilisation technology as an alternative.

Mooloo said that although the company had been pioneering the use of cement for road construction in the last 10 years, it was only within the last 4 years that technology was allowing them to have a serious impact in terms of the use of technology toward green sustainability. She said that the new technologies were a success so far in several parts of the world, including South and North America, as well as South Africa. Jamaica has also been embracing such and it is the goal of TCL to be able to penetrate the region with this product offering, Mooloo reported.

“TCL is not looking to replace flexible roads at all, we just think there is a niche area that concrete roads can try... With respect to asphalt roads, it was very common in the evolution of road construction about 50 years ago and the contractors invested in the equipment to do these, there was an issue with respect to concrete roads long ago... it being noisy... but concrete has evolved from them until now in that all the issues on the front burner has now been negated due to the kind of technology [with the] paving equipment now being used.” Mooloo explained.

When asked how exactly concrete roads could provide more assurance of durability, particularly when faced with reality of natural disasters, the civil engineer responded that such roads, if constructed correctly, acted like a bridge, particularly in areas of soft soil. She remarked that in some of the concrete roads there was reinforcement which added to its strength whereas flexible roads were “likely to in one go, collapse, based on the amount of pressure there is”.

Cost savings and durability aside, challenges with concrete roads could occur of the cement ratio and other control factors were done correctly. “Curing, for example, is a major part that a lot of people neglect because they think once the concrete has hardened that its done... but the curing process enhances the strength of the concrete over time,” she stated.


Source:
By RuthMoisa Stoute
Barbados Advocate
Sunday May 18, 2014

http://www.barbadosadvocate.com/newsitem.asp?more=local&NewsID=36428