Approaches to reduce cost and environmental impacts of UHPC production: A review
Ultra-High Performance Concrete (UHPC) is a special fibre-reinforced concrete with ultra-high compressive strength, high flexural strength, excellent toughness and durability. Typically, UHPC is formulated from Portland cement (PC), supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs), fine aggregates, fibre...
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Elsevier
2025-07-01
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| Series: | Case Studies in Construction Materials |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214509525004425 |
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| author | Xiao (Arling) Zhao Behzad Nematollahi Mehdi Chougan Jianzhuang Xiao |
| author_facet | Xiao (Arling) Zhao Behzad Nematollahi Mehdi Chougan Jianzhuang Xiao |
| author_sort | Xiao (Arling) Zhao |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Ultra-High Performance Concrete (UHPC) is a special fibre-reinforced concrete with ultra-high compressive strength, high flexural strength, excellent toughness and durability. Typically, UHPC is formulated from Portland cement (PC), supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs), fine aggregates, fibres, water and admixtures. However, the current widespread application of UHPC is hampered by two major problems, i.e., high cost and high environmental impacts associated with UHPC production. To address these issues, this study provides a comprehensive review of approaches to reduce the cost and environmental impacts of UHPC production. The main approach discussed in detail is the substitution of PC with geopolymer as a sustainable PC-less binder to develop ultra-high performance geopolymer concrete (UHPGC). The other approaches covered in this article include the use of limestone calcined clay cement (LC3) as a substitute for PC, the incorporation of recycled fibres in place of manufactured fibres, the utilisation of recycled fine aggregates as alternatives to natural sand, and the application of recycled agricultural and industrial wastes as replacements for the commonly used SCMs (i.e., silica fume, fly ash, and ground granulated blast furnace slag). Additionally, incorporating natural/recycled coarse aggregates into the production of UHPC can further reduce the material's cost and carbon emissions. The recommendations for future research are also highlighted for each strategy. The findings of this up-to-date article offer valuable insights for developing a more cost-effective and environmentally friendly UHPC, thereby facilitating its wider application in the construction industry.11 The author Behzad Nematollahi is a guest editor of this journal. In accordance with policy, Behzad Nematollahi was blinded to the entire peer review process. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-29de6e464cfe4bdca3c418792191ecaa |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2214-5095 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Case Studies in Construction Materials |
| spelling | doaj-art-29de6e464cfe4bdca3c418792191ecaa2025-08-20T03:52:38ZengElsevierCase Studies in Construction Materials2214-50952025-07-0122e0464410.1016/j.cscm.2025.e04644Approaches to reduce cost and environmental impacts of UHPC production: A reviewXiao (Arling) Zhao0Behzad Nematollahi1Mehdi Chougan2Jianzhuang Xiao3School of Mechanical, Aerospace and Civil Engineering, The University of Sheffield, Sheffield S1 3JD, UKSchool of Mechanical, Aerospace and Civil Engineering, The University of Sheffield, Sheffield S1 3JD, UK; Corresponding author.School of Mechanical, Aerospace and Civil Engineering, The University of Sheffield, Sheffield S1 3JD, UKCollege of Civil Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China; Institute of Science and Technology for Carbon Peak & Neutrality, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004, ChinaUltra-High Performance Concrete (UHPC) is a special fibre-reinforced concrete with ultra-high compressive strength, high flexural strength, excellent toughness and durability. Typically, UHPC is formulated from Portland cement (PC), supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs), fine aggregates, fibres, water and admixtures. However, the current widespread application of UHPC is hampered by two major problems, i.e., high cost and high environmental impacts associated with UHPC production. To address these issues, this study provides a comprehensive review of approaches to reduce the cost and environmental impacts of UHPC production. The main approach discussed in detail is the substitution of PC with geopolymer as a sustainable PC-less binder to develop ultra-high performance geopolymer concrete (UHPGC). The other approaches covered in this article include the use of limestone calcined clay cement (LC3) as a substitute for PC, the incorporation of recycled fibres in place of manufactured fibres, the utilisation of recycled fine aggregates as alternatives to natural sand, and the application of recycled agricultural and industrial wastes as replacements for the commonly used SCMs (i.e., silica fume, fly ash, and ground granulated blast furnace slag). Additionally, incorporating natural/recycled coarse aggregates into the production of UHPC can further reduce the material's cost and carbon emissions. The recommendations for future research are also highlighted for each strategy. The findings of this up-to-date article offer valuable insights for developing a more cost-effective and environmentally friendly UHPC, thereby facilitating its wider application in the construction industry.11 The author Behzad Nematollahi is a guest editor of this journal. In accordance with policy, Behzad Nematollahi was blinded to the entire peer review process.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214509525004425Ultra-High Performance ConcreteUltra-high performance geopolymer concreteRecycled fibresRecycled aggregatesLimestone calcined clay cementCost analysis |
| spellingShingle | Xiao (Arling) Zhao Behzad Nematollahi Mehdi Chougan Jianzhuang Xiao Approaches to reduce cost and environmental impacts of UHPC production: A review Case Studies in Construction Materials Ultra-High Performance Concrete Ultra-high performance geopolymer concrete Recycled fibres Recycled aggregates Limestone calcined clay cement Cost analysis |
| title | Approaches to reduce cost and environmental impacts of UHPC production: A review |
| title_full | Approaches to reduce cost and environmental impacts of UHPC production: A review |
| title_fullStr | Approaches to reduce cost and environmental impacts of UHPC production: A review |
| title_full_unstemmed | Approaches to reduce cost and environmental impacts of UHPC production: A review |
| title_short | Approaches to reduce cost and environmental impacts of UHPC production: A review |
| title_sort | approaches to reduce cost and environmental impacts of uhpc production a review |
| topic | Ultra-High Performance Concrete Ultra-high performance geopolymer concrete Recycled fibres Recycled aggregates Limestone calcined clay cement Cost analysis |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214509525004425 |
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