Low Carbon Concrete Strategies-PPT Presentation

PPT Presentation

Pdf Summary

Central Concrete presents low-carbon concrete as a standard practice, supported by long-standing industry leadership and collaboration. Its initiatives include introducing slag to the San Francisco Bay Area, adopting CarbonCure technology, producing verified Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs), and contributing to regional and state low-carbon codes and specifications.<br /><br />An EPD reports a mix’s environmental impacts, including production-stage emissions, and supports transparent comparisons and project carbon calculations. Central Concrete provides a verified EPD for every mix.<br /><br />Key carbon-reduction strategies include using lower-carbon Portland limestone cement; replacing 25–70% of cement with supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs), such as slag, fly ash, and natural or glass pozzolans; optimizing aggregate selection and proportions; and injecting recycled CO₂ through CarbonCure. These approaches can substantially reduce global warming potential (GWP), while SCMs can also improve concrete’s resistance to chloride penetration. Aggregates account for 60–70% of concrete volume, so their selection and the use of recycled aggregates can also affect performance and sustainability.<br /><br />The presentation emphasizes matching mix designs to project needs—including strength, durability, workability, placement, and service life. Maturity sensors can help manage early-age strength and reduce unnecessary cement content. Project examples include mixes with up to 70% SCM replacement and reported GWP reductions of up to 59% against a regional benchmark.<br /><br />To make low-carbon mixes practical, specifications should focus on performance rather than impose barriers such as minimum cement content, maximum water-to-cementitious-material ratios, or arbitrary SCM limits. Slump requirements should suit the placement method. The goal is to preserve structural and placement performance while maximizing emissions reductions.

Keywords

low-carbon concrete

environmental product declarations

supplementary cementitious materials

CarbonCure technology

global warming potential

Portland limestone cement

recycled aggregates

maturity sensors

performance-based specifications

chloride penetration resistance