At Just Wood Furniture, we present you with yet another sustainable building material – Ferrock.
This is another concrete alternative that shows great results with seismic activity and earthquakes. We think it’s great that people and technology don’t stop creating and innovating new components. Although concrete is cheap and free to use, it is not good for the environment and that’s why alternatives arise.
Ferrock actively traps carbon in the form of steel. I think it’s also great because it has that great rusty look.
Did you know that concrete is the second most used substance in the world after water? It also accounts for 10% of the earth’s carbon emissions. This is why we need fast solutions to the earth’s fascination with concrete. As well as this, Ferrock also has negative carbon usage. It actually locks in existing carbon. We think this is super cool.
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How to Make Ferrock
Wondering how Ferrock concrete is made?
Ferrock how much co2 is absorbed? Approximately 95% of Ferrock is made from recycled products and byproducts of other construction processes. This is an amazing figure and one to be strived for in this current climate. As well as this concrete is a very wasteful building material, it is simply so widespread because it could be cheap, quick, and easy.
Who Invented Ferrock?
Dr. David Stone, founder and owner of Iron Shell Media Technologies, and former University of Arizona Ph.D. student in the Department of Soil, Water, and Environmental Science Department, invented Ferrock. With help sourcing the silica from e Tohono O’odham Nation Reservation in Southern Arizona, and $200,000 in grants by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Ferrock came to be.
In 2002, at the university of Arizona, he discovered this material after experimenting with iron dust studying environmental chemistry. It retains its rock like properties when poured.
In 2013, the US Patent and Trademark Office issued a patent for the invention.
Ferrock Pros
Pros of Ferrock:
- Carbon-positive – anti global warming.
- Corrosion-resistant – won’t deteriorate over time.
- Chemically-inactive – hazard-free.
- Fire-resistant – withstands temperatures over 1000℉ (600℃).
- Saltwater strengthens Ferrock.
- Lower in weight.
- Sustainable – physically reusing waste.
- Strong – 5,000 to 7,000 psi, up too 10,000 psi.
It makes it less vulnerable to nature and rusting, oxidation, UV radiation, raw damage. It exceeds OPC standard values at 4786 psi (OPC-33 MPa), 6236 psi (OPC-43), and 7687 psi (OPC-53) applicable for concrete.
Cons of Ferrock:
- Expensive
- Can be hard to come by
- Limited supply of ingredients
- Hard to find builders that are experienced with how to make Ferrock
The scarcity of Ferrock, renders it unsuitable for large-scale projects, though.
Ferrock UK & Ferrock USA
Where is ferrock used? Is there a potential use for ferrock in the UK & USA?
We believe so.
People should make the effort to make a difference today, and therefore we believe it’s a great way to get people involved in reducing their carbon footprint.
Ferrock: Where to Use? Examples:
It can be used in gardens, patios as well as commercial buildings and residential buildings.
You can buy Ferrock online.
Which Country Uses Ferrock the Most?
Ferrock appears to be very popular in Australia. Alternative building methods are very popular in modern-day Australia because conventional building materials just aren’t that great when it comes to Australia’s climate and heat.
This being said materials like Timbercrete are seen as a much better and more sustainable alternative to regular traditional methods. It is also worth noting that Ferrock can be applied in both residential or commercial applications as it is not constrained to either/or building material.
How to Buy Ferrock?
Wondering where to buy Ferrock?
Ferrock has not really taken off could partially do with the cost of the substance. The cost of iron dust is still quite high because iron is quite a precious metal so this could be why Ferrock has not entirely taken off yet. Perhaps in the future, it will take off. You can make it yourself or even buy online.
Wondering what Ferrock is made from?
It’s said to comprise 95% from recycled materials.
- It is created from excess steel dust which would normally be trashed.
- It’s mixed with silica from ground up glass.
- Which is poured into a mold.
- Upon reaction with the air and carbon dioxide; iron carbonate is formed.
- Carbon dioxide binds in with Ferrock.
- Trapping it into the blocks.
Thus actually making this material carbon-neutral or carbon-negative.
How to make Ferrock
You will need:
| Material: | Percent (by weight): | Specification/Comments: |
| Iron Powder | 60% | Iron Powder 60% Waste metallic iron powder with a median particle size of 19.03 µm |
| Fly Ash or Glass | 20% | Class F fly ash conforming to ASTM C 618 or Ground glass particles |
| Limestone | 10% | Limestone powder (median particle size of 0.7 µm) conforming to ASTM C 568 |
| Metakaolin | 8% | Conforming to ASTM C 618 |
| Weak organic acid | 2% | Oxalic acid has been used in previous research as catalyst |
- Fully cured samples contain between 8% and 11% of captured CO2 by weight.
Mix these ingredients together and there you have it, something that is strong as concrete with a lot less of the guilt.
Did you know that for every ton of cement that is produced, 8 tonnes of carbon dioxide are released into the atmosphere?
That is incredibly alarming.
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