Sustainability Improvements In The Concrete Industry

This book examines state-of-the-art techniques for using recycled materials for structural concrete production, and explores the use of concrete with metallurgical slag, rheology of fresh recycled concrete, and life-cycle analysis of building materials. It reviews recent codes, guidelines and practices for using recycled materials in structural concrete application, and presents research recently carried out by the authors. Focusing on techniques that limit the environmental impacts of the concrete industry, the text explores the use of recycled components in the place of virgin aggregates and ordinary binders. Chapters focus on topics including processing procedures, mixture proportioning, mechanical properties, durability and structural applications. Providing a valuable resource to engineering postgraduates and researchers, this book is also intended for civil engineers, geologists, and concrete engineers.

Concrete is by far the most common building material— accounting for twice the volume of all other such materials combined. With such a huge global economic impact, the industry has a correspondingly considerable responsibility to use it sustainably. Written by experts who pioneered research into environmental issues and concrete, Concrete and Sustainability examines the sustainability issues of the world’s main construction material and proposes attainable solutions. It provides a complete overview of the topic and tackles the complexity of the challenges from different angles. This book offers new data regarding the social and economic importance of concrete and proposes a discussion centered on a holistic approach in terms of resource availability, technical viability, economic feasibility, and environmental compatibility. The authors attribute a growing worldwide concern and understanding of sustainability issues, and an increased focus on climate change as the catalyst in this process. Instead of offering detailed technical advice or recommendations on sustainable issues, they provide examples showcasing sustainability efforts taking place in the concrete environment worldwide. The book includes examples and ideas for solutions from a large number of countries from across the globe. It presents a holistic and more complete overview of the emission and absorption topic, takes a look at the challenges from a combined old and new world viewing platform and offers an exploration of issues from a social and economic perspective. Concrete and Sustainability details the various rules and regulations that the industry is facing, discusses the various environmental challenges, and explores its impact. As emission, absorptions, and recycling have been the most central elements of discussion in the cement and concrete environment so far, these topics each receive their own chapters. This book also discusses other issues of concern within the various platforms in the industry, as well as future developments, and provides a comprehensive reference list.

Production of Portland cement is responsible for about seven percent of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions. The pressure to make the production of concrete more sustainable, or "greener", is considerable and increasing. This requires a wholesale shift in processes, materials and methods in the concrete industry. Pure Portland cement will need to be replaced by more complex binary, tertiary or even quaternary binders, including other types of cementitious materials. We can expect an increasing use of high performance concrete, primarily because of its high sustainability and durability. Much more attention will have to be paid to the proper curing of the concrete if we want to improve its life expectancy. Presenting the latest advances in the science of concrete this book focuses particularly on sustainability, durability, and economy. It explores the potential for increased sustainability in concrete from the initial mixing right through to its behaviour in complex structures exposed to different types of loads and aggressive environments.

Cement-based concrete has excellent properties as a construction material, and the raw materials of cement—rocks, and limestone and clay—are bountiful. Yet its production generates high quantities of CO2, making it a potentially unsustainable material. However, there are no alternatives to concrete and steel as basic methods for development of socioeconomic infrastructure at this time. Highlighting sustainability issues in the construction industry, The Sustainable Use of Concrete presents guidelines on how to move toward sustainable concrete construction. The book begins by clarifying the historic background and meaning of sustainability, after which it outlines areas that need to be considered in connection with sustainability in the concrete and construction field. It examines environmental, social and cultural, and economic aspects, then considers an evaluation system of sustainability. The authors include various tools and ISO standards, and then explore technologies for sustainability, with case studies and examples that promote understanding of current technologies. Although the construction sector, in the broadest sense, has come to recognize that infrastructure development over the past two centuries has been unsustainable, it has been slow to adjust. Comprehensive information and relevant practical guidance are very scarce. This book lays out a roadmap for creating a human-friendly and safe environment with low environmental burden.

Concrete technology for a sustainable development in the 21st century focuses on the problems and challenges for the concrete industry today and in the future with particular emphasis on environmental consiousness. Primary topics include: the improvement of concretes service life to ease technical and economical problems and the waste of natural resources; environmentally friendly concrete production including new production methods and recycling materials; and actually using concrete to solve environmental problems, for example through the containment of hazardous waste. The book is the result of the international workshop held in Lofoton, Norway. With very select contributions from the most distinguished international professional experts, this book provides a basic framework and guidelines for national and international bodies.

The challenges facing humanity in the 21st century include climate change, population growth, overconsumption of resources, overproduction of waste and increasing energy demands. For construction practitioners, responding to these challenges means creating a built environment that provides accommodation and infrastructure with better whole-life performance using lower volumes of primary materials, less non-renewable energy, wasting less and causing fewer disturbances to the natural environment. Concrete is ubiquitous in the built environment. It is therefore essential that it is used in the most sustainable way so practitioners must become aware of the range of sustainable concrete solutions available for construction. While sustainable development has been embedded into engineering curricula, it can be difficult for students and academics to be fully aware of the innovations in sustainable construction that are developed by the industry. Sustainable Concrete Solutions serves as an introduction to and an overview of the latest developments in sustainable concrete construction. It provides useful guidance, with further references, to students, researchers, academics and practitioners of all construction disciplines who are faced with the challenge of designing, specifying and constructing with concrete.

Illustrates the Global Relevance of SustainabilityApplicable to roads, bridges, and other elements of the infrastructure, Green Building with Concrete: Sustainable Design and Construction, Second Edition provides an overview of all available information on the role of concrete in green building. A handbook offering viewpoints from worldwide experts