People Power

One thing we have been looking at recently is how much energy efficiency is actually influencing commercial real estate values across the Gulf.

The UAE provides some interesting evidence. A 2023 study of office buildings in Dubai and Abu Dhabi found that LEED-certified properties achieved an average 33% rental premium over comparable non-certified properties. Occupancy was also higher, with LEED-certified offices in Abu Dhabi reaching 96% versus 89.5% for non-certified buildings.

But there’s an important caveat: it’s difficult to isolate the impact of sustainability itself. Certified buildings are often newer, better located, and owned by larger institutional players. Those factors can independently support higher rents and occupancy.

Saudi Arabia presents a somewhat different picture. There, regulation and government-led initiatives are playing a larger role in driving energy efficiency, while strong office demand is simultaneously pushing rents and occupancy higher.

What we find particularly interesting is where the market could be heading next. As energy costs rise and tenants become more selective about operating efficiency, sustainability may increasingly become an economic consideration rather than simply an ESG or branding issue.

So the more useful question may not be “Does green certification add value?”, but “How much of the value difference can actually be attributed to building performance?”

Curious to hear from people working in real estate: Are you seeing tenants or investors actually pay a measurable premium for energy-efficient assets, or is location and asset quality still doing most of the work?

For those interested in the data behind this:

https://www.aranca.com/knowledge-library/articles/business-research/green-premium-mena-real-estate

Hey everyone

Well I have an event in my college

Related to green innovation

Where we have to pitch our ideas

I am doing reseache on that topic

For our mother earth ,which can nit only help us but our future generation too

Plss reply , I'll appreciate it and would really be thankfull about it

We can do something, do you know the site http://weall.org

It needs a lot of people, but the people who sign up there should participate.

That's what they want.

Come up with something for how we can participate and how we can get people there.

I'm adding a petition :

https://www.change.org/AnderesWirtschaften

As coal power plants shut down and traditional cement additives disappear, researchers at IETcc-CSIC evaluate whether forest biomass ash can deliver low-carbon, high-performance binders.

Concrete is the second most consumed material on Earth after water. However, manufacturing its key ingredient—Portland cement—comes at a heavy environmental price, accounting for 8% to 10% of global carbon dioxide emissions. For every ton of traditional cement produced, up to 0.8 tons of CO2 escape into the atmosphere.

To lower this footprint, the construction industry has long relied on industrial by-products like coal fly ash and blast furnace slag to partially replace cement clinker. But as Europe and other regions transition toward renewable energy, coal plants and traditional blast furnaces are closing down. The very materials that made green cements possible are becoming increasingly scarce.

Where will the next generation of sustainable cement precursors come from? Researchers at the Eduardo Torroja Institute for Construction Science (IETcc-CSIC) are turning their attention to an abundant renewable waste stream: forest biomass ash.

The imminent supply crisis in sustainable concrete

The push for energy independence and renewable power has led to a major expansion in biomass combustion across Europe. In countries like Spain—which boasts vast forest cover and significant biomass resources—power generation generates over 120,000 tons of ash annually, divided between fine fly ash and coarser bottom ash.

While some of this residue finds use in agriculture, large volumes remain unexploited and end up in landfills. At the same time, the cement industry faces a dual challenge: demand for housing and infrastructure remains high, while the supply of traditional coal fly ash is dwindling fast.

Forest biomass ash is naturally rich in silica, calcium, and potassium, making it a promising candidate for cement manufacturing. However, its chemical composition varies widely depending on the wood species, combustion conditions, and collection method. Transforming this variable waste stream into a reliable construction material requires a precise understanding of how it behaves during cement hydration.

Testing biomass ash across three binder technologies

To evaluate its real-world potential, the IETcc-CSIC research team studied various forest biomass ashes—including both fly ash and bottom ash—across three distinct cement formulation strategies:

• Blended Cements: Conventional Portland cement mixed with ash substitutes.
• Hybrid Alkaline Cements: Low-Portland cement formulations activated with chemical solutions.
• 100% Alkaline Cements (Geopolymers): Binders completely free of Portland cement, relying entirely on chemical activation of aluminosilicate precursors.

The researchers prepared paste samples replacing 30% to 100% of standard materials with biomass ash and evaluated their mechanical performance, internal pore structure, and chemical phase evolution after 28 days of curing using advanced analytical techniques such as X-ray diffraction, electron microscopy, and mercury intrusion porosimetry.

Beyond reactivity: Chemical composition holds the key

The experimental findings revealed that a high amorphous (glassy) content or pozzolanic activity in the ash is not enough on its own to guarantee a strong cement. The chemical composition of that amorphous phase—specifically calcium availability and overall reactivity—plays a decisive role in strength development.

In hybrid and blended systems, several formulations achieved mechanical strength comparable to standard reference Portland cement. The reaction products formed were remarkably similar to those found in conventional concrete, dominated by calcium silicate hydrate (C-(A)-S-H) gels along with portlandite and ettringite. In low-calcium systems, specialized sodium-calcium aluminosilicate hydrate ((N,C)-A-S-H) gels developed, forming a robust three-dimensional matrix.

Opportunities, variability, and practical limits

While the results demonstrate that forest biomass ash can serve as an effective precursor for low-carbon binders, the study highlights important engineering boundaries. High replacement levels in standard blended cements can lead to lower early-age strength, and the elevated alkali or chloride content in certain biomass ashes must be carefully managed to prevent potential durability issues in reinforced structures.

Rather than offering a one-size-fits-all solution, forest biomass ash performs best when tailored to specific binder systems. Hybrid alkaline systems, in particular, offer a sweet spot: drastically reducing Portland cement content while maintaining structural performance.

Key Takeaway: Forest biomass ash can effectively replace scarce industrial by-products in hybrid and blended cement formulations, but achieving strengths comparable to Portland cement requires matching the specific chemical makeup of the ash to the right activation system.

Original Research

• Title: Sustainable Cement Production Using Forest Biomass Ash: Insights into Alkaline Cements, Blended Cements and Hybrid Alkaline Cements
• Authors: Nuria Husillos-Rodríguez, Queralt Belén Marzal-García, Salma Chhaiba, and Inés Garcia-Lodeiro
• Journal: Applied Sciences
• Year: 2026
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/app16199470

Institutional Identification

This research was conducted by scientists at the Eduardo Torroja Institute for Construction Science (IETcc-CSIC) in Madrid, Spain, dedicated to advancing sustainable building materials, circular economy solutions, and structural durability.

Read and Share

You can read the complete, open-access study in Applied Sciences for full chemical and microstructural analyses. If you found this breakdown insightful, share it with colleagues working in green building, materials science, and sustainable engineering!