Scientists Develop Innovative Concrete with Sugarcane Bagasse, Providing Sustainable and Low-Cost Solutions for Construction

Written by Valdemar Medeiros

Published on 26/06/2023 at 12:02

Foto: Concreto de bagaço de cana-de-açúcar/ Universidade de East London

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London Researchers Developed New Concrete From Sugarcane Bagasse That Could Change Sustainability In The Global Construction Industry.

Researchers from the University of East London (UEL), alongside architects from Grimshaw and the sugar manufacturer Tate & Lyle Sugar, developed a new sugarcane bagasse concrete for civil construction, called Sugarcrete. The focus of the project is to develop low-carbon solutions aimed at the construction industry, as this sector is responsible for more than 34% of energy use and 37% of carbon dioxide emissions linked to energy and processes in 2021, according to data from UNEP.

Understand How Sugarcane Bagasse Concrete Is Produced

Sugarcane, being the largest crop in the world by production volume, can contribute to the reduction of CO2 emissions in the construction industry. Researchers claim that cultivating sugarcane also provides one of the fastest means of converting CO2 into biomass, up to 50 times more efficient than forestry.

A study conducted by Agroicone, Embrapa Meio Ambiente, and Unicamp confirmed that sugarcane contributed to carbon removal from the atmosphere over the past two decades in the country.

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Sugarcane Bagasse Concrete Will Be Tested In NGOs

The benefits of the new material include carbon emissions 20 times lower than conventional concrete, as well as being 5 times lighter and cheaper to produce.

Researchers also emphasize that recycling sugarcane bagasse can contribute to developing locally-made construction solutions for sugar-producing communities.

The project team is already looking for locations in the global south that produce sugar, with the aim of testing Sugarcrete in partnership with local NGOs. Researchers assert that the key to the project is to create a technology and production outcome that utilizes sugarcane biowaste in its local context.

The sugarcane bagasse concrete can bring significant advancements to civil construction regarding sustainability and reductions in CO2 emissions, as well as providing low-carbon solutions for sugar-producing communities. The initiative is proof that it is possible to generate innovative and sustainable solutions from biowaste and local materials.

Construction Industry Becoming More Sustainable

In addition to sugarcane bagasse concrete, the construction industry is increasingly incorporating new technologies every day. Researchers developed a solar concrete that generates energy from solar radiation.

The product was developed in Mexico, resulting from a doctoral research by Euxis Kismet Sierra Marques and Orlando Gutiérrez Obeso. The developers graduated in Advanced Technology at the Azcapotzalco Research and Technological Innovation Center, part of the National Polytechnic Institute (IPN).

To produce solar concrete, the process developed by the scientists uses perovskite, a calcium and titanium oxide mineral and also a more cost-effective alternative to silicon solar cells. Utilizing high-energy milling, the inventors developed a nanoscale cement powder with particles smaller than 100 nanometers.

Scientists Develop Innovative Concrete with Sugarcane Bagasse, Providing Sustainable and Low-Cost Solutions for Construction

London Researchers Developed New Concrete From Sugarcane Bagasse That Could Change Sustainability In The Global Construction Industry.

Understand How Sugarcane Bagasse Concrete Is Produced

Sugarcane Bagasse Concrete Will Be Tested In NGOs

Construction Industry Becoming More Sustainable

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Scientists Develop Innovative Concrete with Sugarcane Bagasse, Providing Sustainable and Low-Cost Solutions for Construction

London Researchers Developed New Concrete From Sugarcane Bagasse That Could Change Sustainability In The Global Construction Industry.

Understand How Sugarcane Bagasse Concrete Is Produced

Sugarcane Bagasse Concrete Will Be Tested In NGOs

Construction Industry Becoming More Sustainable

Engineers want to carve through Africa with a giant canal to bring water from the world’s second-largest river to a dying lake on the edge of the Sahara Desert that has already lost 90% of its water.

A giant brown band visible from space, approximately 8,850 kilometers long, connected Africa to America in the Atlantic Ocean, and satellites revealed that it is neither land nor pollution, but the largest accumulation of seaweed in the world, which broke records in 2025.

Workers were opening a modern road in Dover when they found, 6 meters below the asphalt, a 3,500-year-old boat made of stitched oak and plant fibers.

Instead of burning or burying old tires, an American city is transforming about 2,000 of them into the street itself, paving its first sections with a quieter and more durable rubber asphalt.

In just one cast, fishermen are surprised to capture 14,096 mullets in Bombinhas and close a historic season with 58,000 fish; scene recorded in the Santa Catarina paradise marks the last day of the 2026 season.

Consumers eat six times more chicken than in the 1960s, global meat supply quadruples in 60 years, and FAO report reveals the invisible cost on the plate: livestock could drive 80% of the increase in agricultural emissions over the next decade.

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Scientists may have found an absurd clue about how life began on Earth: mineral nanoparticles might have used light, heat, and electricity to transform non-living matter into the first biological building blocks.

McDonald’s seems to sell burgers, but behind the scenes it involves real estate, rent, and strict contracts: in Brazil, a franchisee can invest up to R$ 4.5 million, give up part of the revenue, and still lose the store at the end of the agreement.

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