According to Mehta, "the goal of sustainable development of the cement and concrete industries is very important, and it can be reached if we make a serious effort for complete utilization of cementitious and pozzolanic byproducts produced by thermal powerplants and metallurgical industries." The spirit of sustainable development encourages the beneficial use of industrial byproducts in order to preserve resources, conserve energy, and reduce or eliminate the need to dispose of industrial byproducts in landfills. There is now a renewed and increased environmental awareness and NIMBY (not in my backyard) syndrome. Accordingly, major efforts are now required to dig less earth for the production of concrete and to reduce the need for new landfills to store the byproducts of powerplants and metallurgical industries. It is here that the utilization of flyash and blast furnace slag in the production of lightweight aggregate can play a dual role in promoting the cause of sustainable development and yet produce a technically superior material of construction — structural lightweight concrete (SLWC). This paper makes a well-argued case for the enhanced utilization of SLWC. The authors cite examples from their own research conducted in the last 15 years or so. It is concluded that the use of the reinforced lightweight concrete is environment enhancing and conserving, leads to greenhouse gas abatement, and is less energy-intensive in comparison to normal weight concrete (NWC).
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