Climate: Ecosystems + Housing
Manufacturing of Concrete Blocks Using Cigarette butts and P
What is the name of your solution?
Manufacturing of Concrete Blocks Using Cigarette butts and P
Provide a one-line summary of your solution.
Utilisations of waste materials in order to make an efficient,economical and viable concrete block
What specific problem are you solving?
In the construction industry, waste utilisation for manufacturing of products is hardly done. On a yearly basis, two hundred billion cigarette butts end up on the streets along with millions of kilogram of plastic. As nowadays many citizen across the globe is facing issue due to overheating of external wall so to eliminate it, we are utilising both these wastes and making a product that is used on a daily basis in the construction industry.
What is your solution?
We are making concrete block with the help of waste material like PET plastic and cigarette butt. So, this concrete block helps in reducing thermal conductivity without decreasing the compressive strength of the block. It uses the basic processes like collection, sterilization, mixing and castingwhich is required to make a block .
Who does your solution serve, and in what ways will the solution impact their lives?
We are helping our future generations by doing our small bit to fight against increasing waste and global pollution. Middle class person cant afford to use thermal sheets in their external wall to reduce the impact of heat as thermal sheets are way to expensive and which can also increase the total cost of built up. So with the help of our block we can eliminate that issue and also it will be low carbon emitted product.
How are you and your team well-positioned to deliver this solution?
We have done a lot research and discussion regarding the issue faced by people and have various changes in the block since the inception. The team has worked on the product for more than 16 months. The team is confident that the product is ready for the market. Having worked on the same product since prototype one has givien our team immense confidence that this product can be scaled on a large scale .
Which dimension of the Challenge does your solution most closely address?
Enable mass production of inexpensive and low-carbon housing, including changes to design, materials, and construction methods.
Where our solution team is headquartered or located:
Mumbai, Maharashtra, IndiaOur solution's stage of development:
PrototypeHow many people does your solution currently serve?
Zero
Why are you applying to Solve?
The main barrier which we are facing right now is mass production of our product considering the economical side of the block without affecting the quality of the product. So, seeing this we aim for technical and financial help.
In which of the following areas do you most need partners or support?
Business model (e.g. product-market fit, strategy & development)
Who is the Team Lead for your solution?
Shaurya Magdum
What makes your solution innovative?
Right now no one is doing any substantial amount of work in the field of manufacturing of block. So, with the help of this product we can change the world of construction industry.
What are your impact goals for the next year and the next five years, and how will you achieve them?
The research provides sufficient evidence that concrete blocks made with cigarette butts and PET plastic can be utilized in the construction industry. However, the cost for manufacturing of concrete blocks needs to be limited drastically. The costs of manufacturing a block are tremendously high accounting to the fact that the cigarette butts are extremely hard to find. The research team had to travel to multiple locations across Mumbai to collect cigarette butts. Furthermore, the sanitization process for cigarette butts was time consuming and labor intensive. This would lead to an increase in the labor costs incurred in manufacturing a single batch of concrete blocks. These costs can be sufficiently reduced if cigarette butts are supplied by professional firm and the sanitation process is done using high profile sanitation machinery. In order to make this a commercially viable product heavy marketing and widespread knowledge sharing connections have to be made with builders, contractor and architects across the construction industry. A further detailed study on the mix designs for the concrete blocks can increase the compressive strength drastically. This would definitely give the product a competitive edge over various competitors. The block being an ecofriendly and waste friendly product will help make a sustainable brand name in the market faster and efficiently as larger companies are willing to be sustainable and make positive changes to our environment. Adding to this, the product being the first of its kind in the market will make it easier to achieve influential product-market fit. In order to make the product market viable and cost effective, our research team has relentlessly collaborated with various companies and NGO’s for supplying of cigarette butts and PET plastic. Overall, a professional firm having an array of experience in the construction industry can easily make a successful business out of this product once it works on low cost of production, with a strong supply chain management of low material cost and low manufacturing costs.
How are you measuring your progress toward your impact goals?
We are reducing fine aggregate by plastic in the ratio of 1:2 which will reduce our dependency on fine aggregate and will also help to reduce waste
What is your theory of change?
In both residential and commercial building, concrete block wall systems are essential. Concrete wall blocks are made with a lot of energy and emit a lot of CO2 into the atmosphere. Furthermore, a substantial amount of construction and demolition debris will be generated at the end of the useful life and must be disposed of. As a result, the true environmental costs must be considered when choosing wall systems for any new project. In addition to the traditional cost of construction, proper use of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) models requires quantification of all environmental costs during the system selection process. LCA is a process that attempts to assess a product's overall cost, including environmental burden, from raw material procurement to final disposal. Environmental expenses are taken into account such as mining or farming of raw materials, the processing of those materials to produce wall system components, the transportation of both raw materials and processed components, the installation of the system, the use of the structure, and the demolition of the structure with the disposal, reuse, or recycling of the system's component materials. Research shows that traditional concrete block manufacturing has the lowest material cost but it has the highest environmental cost when compared to other novel wall block systems. It may be difficult to estimate actual costs for the materials that make up competing systems, but it is necessary to do so. Thus, usage of concrete blocks made up of cigarette butts waste and PET plastic works towards providing the globe with a net zero effect. The blocks are made for the betterment of the environment and thus allows for lessened environmental impact.
Which of the following categories best describes your solution?
A new business model or process that relies on technology to be successful
Please select the technologies currently used in your solution:
Which of the UN Sustainable Development Goals does your solution address?
In which countries will you be operating within the next year?
What type of organization is your solution team?
Not registered as any organization
How many people work on your solution team?
Co-founders 5
How long have you been working on your solution?
1 year
Solution Team
to Top
Our Organization
Mukesh Patel School of Technology Management and Engineering,NMIMS