A new low-carbon building material developed by engineers and scientists at the University of East London (UEL) has been used to construct a school in India — reportedly a world’s first.

The material, dubbed Sugarcrete, is a combination of bagasse, which is the dry pulpy fibrous material leftover after crushing sugarcane and other crops, and sand mineral binders, which together create blocks. According to its developers, the material is reportedly six times less carbon intensive than traditional bricks.
Source: UELSource: UEL

The team explained that Sugarcrete has high-quality mechanical, acoustic, fire and thermal properties, and has also been tested to industry standards for fire resistance, compressive strength, thermal conductivity and durability.

Following these tests, the Sugarcrete developers found that the material might be appropriate for applications such as insulation panels, lightweight blocks, load-bearing blockwork and structural floor and roof slabs, for instance.

The researchers from UEL worked alongside students from the Delhi School of Architecture and Planning to design and then build a school at Panchsheel Inter College in Uttar Pradesh using Sugarcrete. The teams will monitor the building to further establish the material’s insulation, moisture resistance and soundproofing properties.

For more on the material, watch the accompanying video that appears courtesy of UEL.

To contact the author of this article, email mdonlon@globalspec.com