Reducing environmental impact by increasing the strength of concrete: quantification of the improvement to concrete bridges

Habert, Guillaume; Arribe, David; Dehove, Thibault; Espinasse, Ludovic; Roy, Robert Le

doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2012.05.028

Cited by 119 publications

(51 citation statements)

References 22 publications

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“…In many cases, using higher grades of concrete and steel can significantly reduce the required volume and self-weight of a structure [74]. This in turn can lead to reductions in the size of foundations, leading to overall reductions in the associated environmental impacts.…”

Section:  Overly Conservative Regulatory Requirementsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The greenhouse gas emissions and mitigation options for materials used in UK construction

Giesekam

Barrett

Taylor

et al. 2014

Energy and Buildings

152

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The UK construction industry faces the daunting task of replacing and extending a significant proportion of UK infrastructure, meeting a growing housing shortage and retrofitting millions of homes whilst achieving greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reductions compatible with the UK's legally binding target of an 80% reduction by 2050. This paper presents a detailed time series of embodied GHG emissions from the construction sector for 1997-2011. This data is used to demonstrate that strategies which focus solely on improving operational performance of buildings and the production efficiencies of domestic material producers will be insufficient to meet sector emission reduction targets.Reductions in the order of 80% will require a substantial decline in the use of materials with carbon-intensive supply chains. A variety of alternative materials, technologies and practices are available and the common barriers to their use are presented based upon an extensive literature survey. Key gaps in qualitative research, data and modelling approaches are also identified. Subsequent discussion highlights the lack of client and regulatory drivers for uptake of alternatives and the ineffective allocation of responsibility for emissions reduction within the industry. Only by addressing and overcoming all these challenges in combination can the construction sector achieve drastic emissions reduction.

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Section:  Overly Conservative Regulatory Requirementsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The greenhouse gas emissions and mitigation options for materials used in UK construction

Giesekam

Barrett

Taylor

et al. 2014

Energy and Buildings

152

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Portland cement is the most widely used building material in the world, and its production accounts for (5-10)% of the world's total annual carbon dioxide emissions [1]. In the United States, 92 million metric tons of concrete were produced in 2015, contributing $10.6 billion to state revenues [2].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…High performance concrete (HPC) is an advanced alternative to conventional concrete that possesses higher durability and strength due to its decreased porosity and also has lower carbon dioxide emissions [1,3]. HPC can easily achieve compressive strengths as high as 110 MPa, in contrast to the more common compressive strengths of (30)(31)(32)(33)(34)(35)(36)(37)(38)(39)(40) MPa [4].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Improved Concrete Materials with Hydrogel-Based Internal Curing Agents

Krafcik

Macke

Erk

2017

Gels

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This research article will describe the design and use of polyelectrolyte hydrogel particles as internal curing agents in concrete and present new results on relevant hydrogel-ion interactions. When incorporated into concrete, hydrogel particles release their stored water to fuel the curing reaction, resulting in reduced volumetric shrinkage and cracking and thus increasing concrete service life. The hydrogel's swelling performance and mechanical properties are strongly sensitive to multivalent cations that are naturally present in concrete mixtures, including calcium and aluminum. Model poly(acrylic acid(AA)-acrylamide(AM))-based hydrogel particles with different chemical compositions (AA:AM monomer ratio) were synthesized and immersed in sodium, calcium, and aluminum salt solutions. The presence of multivalent cations resulted in decreased swelling capacity and altered swelling kinetics to the point where some hydrogel compositions displayed rapid deswelling behavior and the formation of a mechanically stiff shell. Interestingly, when incorporated into mortar, hydrogel particles reduced mixture shrinkage while encouraging the formation of specific inorganic phases (calcium hydroxide and calcium silicate hydrate) within the void space previously occupied by the swollen particle.

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“…Furthermore, due to a better understanding of packing optimization [4,5] as well as the development of superplasticizers, reduction of cement content at the concrete scale while achieving similar performance can now be done [6]. Finally, structural optimization, either by better design through structurally informed form-finding software [7] or by high performance material used in smaller volume than low performance concrete [8], can further reduce the need for cement production when the structure scale is considered [9]. However, all these initiatives are not sufficient to achieve the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) recommendations, due to the tremendous growth of consumption, especially in emerging countries.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Recent update on the environmental impact of geopolymers

Habert

Ouellet‐Plamondon

2016

RILEM Tech Lett

Self Cite

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The contribution of building materials' production to environmental impacts becomes significant in the new energy efficient buildings that are currently built. Among those materials, cement represents a major part of the embodied carbon footprint of buildings. Development of alternatives to traditional Portland cement have emerged over the last decades; however, their environmental assessment over their life cycle have resulted in conflicting results, which give a confusing picture of the strategic path to be followed. This paper focuses on the alkali-activated cement and concrete and points out the variability linked with the choice of energy source for the production of the activators and precursors. A review of existing studies is then performed in order to highlight the main benefits of these alternative cements in terms of reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. Finally, the results presented here highlight further research trends for new cements and concrete.

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Reducing environmental impact by increasing the strength of concrete: quantification of the improvement to concrete bridges

Cited by 119 publications

References 22 publications

The greenhouse gas emissions and mitigation options for materials used in UK construction

The greenhouse gas emissions and mitigation options for materials used in UK construction

Improved Concrete Materials with Hydrogel-Based Internal Curing Agents

Recent update on the environmental impact of geopolymers

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