Recent advances in the concrete industry to reduce its carbon dioxide emissions

Abstract

Increasing sustainability awareness has put the concrete industry in the spotlight to reduce its carbon dioxide emissions. Most of the carbon dioxide emission from the concrete industry is from the production of Portland cement which is the main binder in concrete, and the transportation of materials. Also, the production of other components in concrete such as aggregates, admixtures, and construction processes contribute to the industry's emission. In addition, the concrete industry is one of the major consumers of natural resources, and the increasing production of concrete has posed a huge strain on the natural reserve of these resources. Nevertheless, the last decade has seen several promising initiatives taken by the industry to improve its sustainability in order to achieve a net-zero emission by 2050. These initiatives vary from using alternative materials such as waste materials, optimizing concrete production processes, use of alternative sources of energy, etc. In order to create more awareness within the construction industry and its stakeholders, this paper explored various ways in which the industry is tackling these sustainability issues. The prospects alongside the challenges for these initiatives are discussed.