Recent advances in understanding the role of supplementary cementitious materials in concrete

Paulo J. M. Monteiro, Sabbie A. Miller and Arpad Horvath provide an overview of the challenges and accomplishments in reducing the environmental burden of concrete production.

Towards sustainable concrete.

A review of waste products utilized as supplements to Portland cement in concrete

This paper reports the composition and properties of highly flowable self-consolidating concrete (SCC) mixtures made of high proportions of cement replacement materials such as fly ash and pulverized limestone instead of high dosage of a plasticizing agent or viscosity-modifying chemical admixtures. Self-consolidating concrete mixtures are being increasingly used for the construction of highly reinforced complex concrete elements and for massive concrete structures such as dams and thick foundation. In this study, by varying the proportion of portland cement (OPC), Class F-fly ash (F), and limestone powder (L), SCC mixtures with different strength values were produced, and the properties of both fresh and hardened concrete were determined. For a comprehensive analysis and quantification of emissions and global warming potential (GWP) from concrete production, life-cycle assessment (LCA) was employed. We find that high volume, up to 55% by weight replacement of OPC with F, or F and L produces highly workable concrete that has high 28-day and 365-day strength, and extremely high to very high resistance to chloride penetration along with low GWP for concrete production.

/pdf/mechanical-properties-durability-and-life-cycle-assessment-41sc4q5hhl.pdf

Mechanical properties, durability, and life-cycle assessment of self-consolidating concrete mixtures made with blended portland cements containing fly ash and limestone powder

Exploring environmental and economic costs and benefits of a circular economy approach to the construction and demolition sector. A literature review

Concrete is one of the most widely used building materials with a global consumption rate approaching 25 gigatonnes per year. Consequentially, its environmental burden is significant in terms of resource use and environmental emissions. There is a diverse audience of decision makers and manufacturers who are interested in understanding and lowering the environmental impact of concrete and other buildings materials, which requires a life-cycle assessment (LCA) approach. A critical first step in any LCA is the compilation of a credible life-cycle inventory (LCI), upon which subsequent life-cycle impact assessment (LCIA) can be based. This article reviews the strengths and weaknesses of concrete LCIs to date, and offers a research roadmap to improve the quality of future cement and concrete LCIs and meet the needs of major LCA users.

Life-cycle inventory analysis of concrete production: A critical review

This paper compares the delivery of two retrofit projects where seismic isolation bearings were installed. The comparison is retrospective. The design teams on these projects did not implement “lean” thinking to develop their approach, nevertheless, observed process differences are characterized using a “lean” process evaluation and optimization tool, and then gauged and rationalized from that perspective. Cross-functional process charts identify functional parties with interrelated material or information handoffs. They help to identify (un)necessary steps or complexity as measured by number of handoffs and interacting parties. Analysis of these charts shows that project value may stem from the owner integrating design development with product procurement and construction method selection. On one project, integration was made possible by structural engineers evaluating the impacts of product procurement on overall project performance, expert consultants providing construction process reviews, and experie...

A. Petek Gursel

Papers

Mechanical properties, durability, and life-cycle assessment of self-consolidating concrete mixtures made with blended portland cements containing fly ash and limestone powder

Life-cycle inventory analysis of concrete production: A critical review

“Lean” Comparison Using Process Charts of Complex Seismic Retrofit Projects

Embodied energy and greenhouse gas emission trends from major construction materials of U.S. office buildings constructed after the Mid-1940s