Agrocrete®: Turning Buildings into Carbon Sinks

Through a proprietary manufacturing process, GreenJams turns crop residues and industrial wastes into a versatile and robust carbon-negative material aptly called Agrocrete®.

At GreenJams, we have a lofty goal – to remove 10% of global carbon dioxide emissions. Given that 45% of the world’s carbon emissions stem from the built environment, we wanted to create a way to transform the act of constructing a building from an emissions-heavy endeavour to one that benefits the environment. The mission might have seemed like a daunting proposition, but with the invention of the revolutionary material, Agrocrete®, the mission became achievable. The paradigm we are creating is counter-intuitive: more is more. Agrocrete® is a carbon-negative construction material from crop residues and industrial byproducts. Not only does it sequester carbon within it, but it also prevents its raw materials from harming the environment due to activities like stubble burning or industrial waste dumping. Agrocrete® is carbonnegative because of the biogenic carbon captured and stored by the crop residues within the block. Therefore, when you use Agrocrete®, you leave behind a planet that is better than now.

Further, we are committed to manufacturing Agrocrete® in a highly sustainable, low-energy and low-resource process which can easily be plugged into renewable energy sources. Currently, the company uses no fuels or energy other than electricity from the public power grid. Moreover, the water consumed in treating the raw materials is reused for agriculture since it is rich in nutrients. We produce Agrocrete® using state-ofthe-art manufacturing equipment and follow stringent quality practices to ensure consistent output. Our blocks are tested and certified by CSIR-Central Building Research Institute (CSIR-CBRI), Roorkee and Building Materials and Technology Promotion Council (BMTPC), Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs. We adopt robust lifecycle analysis methods following ISO 14044, ISO 14025 and EN 15804 standards to determine and communicate our positive climate impact.

However, while Agrocrete® blocks are most certainly the greener option compared to other blocks on the market, there’s another key reason why engineers and architects across India are quickly adopting them: Agrocrete® blocks are stronger where it matters.

Here’s a quick snapshot of Agrocrete®’s benefits:
• 350% higher thermal insulation
• 60% lesser mortar required
• 50% lower construction cost
• 100% faster masonry
• 60% lesser weight
• 20% thinner walls

Because Agrocrete® offers more strength and is significantly lighter, construction times are much lower with Agrocrete® blocks. Moreover, it leads to thinner walls because of its excellent finish. With a higher splitting tensile strength than AAC blocks, due to the crop fibres, they resist cracks and do not need bond beams. As a result, architects and masons alike can realise any grand vision with Agrocrete® blocks.

Perhaps the perfect example of our customers taking advantage of Agrocrete® blocks’ climate impact is the industrial building constructed by ITC Ltd at Kapurthala, Punjab. The project, built with about 35,000 Agrocrete® blocks (approx. 400 cubic metres), has delivered significant climate impact – approximately 38 tonnes of carbon dioxide captured and 200 tonnes of carbon emissions prevented by replacing burnt clay bricks.

We are convinced that Agrocrete® blocks aren’t just the greener choice. They are the better choice by any measure. Now, it’s up to us to make the right choice when designing and building our spaces, not just for ourselves but for the generations of people that will rely on the spaces we build today.

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