Experience Level: Any level of experience

Concrete remains the foundation of modern infrastructure, yet the production of portland cement—the key binder in concrete—contributes approximately 8% of global CO₂ emissions. In response, the industry has long utilized supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs) such as fly ash, slag, and natural pozzolans. However, diminishing availability of these materials now demands scalable, sustainable alternatives.

One of the most promising solutions is limestone calcined clay cement (LC3), a blended cement capable of replacing more than 50% of clinker with a combination of limestone and calcined kaolinitic clays. The performance of LC3 is rooted in well-understood chemical mechanisms: reactions between metakaolin and calcium hydroxide produce C-A-S-H and carboaluminates.

Advances in mix design further support the reduction of total cement content without compromising performance, aligning structural efficiency with sustainability goals. By combining innovative cement chemistries with optimized concrete formulations, the construction sector can accelerate its path toward decarbonization—while also increasing resilience against resource scarcity.
These integrated strategies represent a pragmatic and technically robust pathway for reducing concrete’s environmental impact and ensuring long-term resilience in the built environment.

Learning Outcomes:

1. Identify key sources of embodied CO₂ in concrete materials and construction practices.

2. Evaluate proven and emerging strategies for decarbonizing cement and concrete production.

3. Analyze the technical, logistical, and economic challenges of scaling low-carbon technologies, including a balanced assessment of their advantages and limitations.

1 PDH 

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