Self-luminous concrete .. How did Egyptians reach this achievement?

 Female students in the Department of Construction Engineering at the American University in Cairo have completed a project aimed at developing self-luminous concrete that can absorb light from sunlight or any other source, and illuminate at night, in order to use sustainable energy sources without relying on traditional sources.

The team consists of 4 students, Zainab Abdel Aziz, Menna Suleiman, Fatima Al Nafali and Mayar Khairy, under the supervision of the Professor of Construction Engineering at the American University in Cairo, Mohamed Abu Zeid.

According to the university, the project aims to save energy when using concrete to light roads and sidewalks at night, without relying on traditional energy methods.

For her part, Abdel Aziz said: "This concrete is different from ordinary, as it can absorb light, whether from the sun or any other source, and then return this light to us at the time of the absence of the sun, and street lighting."

She added, "The research team based its idea on previous research in this field, but it was keen to use materials available in Egypt, which help in implementing the idea, and at the same time, the durability, endurance and strength of concrete remain the same."

And she added, "The components of concrete are the same as the natural ingredients, but materials are added to them in certain proportions to play this role, and they work in a similar way to solar energy, which makes there a need to choose materials that are available locally and achieve the desired results, without affecting the mechanical properties of concrete, and therefore the idea You need a set of tests in concrete, to find the best way for it to function properly without affecting its durability."

She also indicated that this research, if implemented in a practical way, "produces concrete that can be integrated into the infrastructure system, to light highways and bike paths instead of electric lighting, in line with the sustainability goals in Egypt in roads, parking lots, and places where it is difficult to provide light poles." In it, such as travel methods and others, it also saves in the use of electricity, by relying on renewable sources of energy.”

Zainab pointed out that this research was presented at the 101st annual meeting of the Transportation Research Council, which was held in Washington, DC, in January 2022, which helped the students communicate with experts in the field and benefit from them.