Kerala’s mounting problem of construction and demolition waste has found a promising solution, thanks to researchers at Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham. The team has developed a sustainable method that could reshape how the state handles debris from building projects.
Across cities like Ernakulam, heaps of concrete rubble from demolished structures—nearly 90 tonnes in the Marad high-rise demolitions alone—often end up in landfills or clogging water bodies, worsening pollution.
To counter this, Vishnu Vijayan, a research scholar at Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham and dean at Baselios Mathews College of Engineering, Sasthamcotta, along with Mini K M and Sanjay Kumar Shukla of Edith Cowan University, Australia, introduced an innovative slurry immersion technique.
How the technique works
The process enhances the quality of low-grade recycled aggregates by immersing them in a specially prepared slurry. This boosts the strength and durability of recycled concrete, making it suitable for reuse in new construction projects.
Why it matters
According to Vijayan, this approach allows waste materials to be reintegrated into the construction cycle without sacrificing quality. The result: reduced carbon emissions, lower project costs, and a major step toward more sustainable building practices.
This innovation could help Kerala move closer to a circular construction economy—turning waste into a resource and easing pressure on the environment.
