Carbon emissions assessment of concrete and quantitative calculation of CO2 reduction benefits of SCMs: A case study of C30-C80 ready-mixed concrete in China
This study elucidates the changes in carbon footprint variations in concrete production processes and component contributions due to the use of supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs) and changes in raw material transport distances through the establishment of a large-scale concrete mix proporti...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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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/S2214509525000865 |
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| author | Zuojiang Lin Guangyao Lyu Kuizhen Fang |
| author_facet | Zuojiang Lin Guangyao Lyu Kuizhen Fang |
| author_sort | Zuojiang Lin |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | This study elucidates the changes in carbon footprint variations in concrete production processes and component contributions due to the use of supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs) and changes in raw material transport distances through the establishment of a large-scale concrete mix proportion database and life-cycle assessment (LCA). The average carbon emissions for C30-C80 concrete were calculated to range from 262.21 to 401.78 kgCO2e/m3, with data showing significant dispersion due to uncertainties in raw materials and experimental conditions. The incorporation of SCMs leads to substantial and unstable changes in cement content, but still generally reduces carbon emissions of concrete by 5 %-30 % at the same strength level, and increased transport distances have little effect on this reduction rate, which diminishes to zero only when distance exceeds 4166 km. In contrast, transporting aggregates over long distances (from 100 km to 500 km) increases carbon emissions by more than 10 % due to huge mass. Manufactured sand (MS) reduces transport emissions when replacing 50 % and 100 % of natural fine aggregates (NFA) but is scarcely beneficial to total CO2e emission due to its higher production energy consumption and negative impact on concrete strength. This study highlights the low-carbon potential of SCMs and underscores that reducing production energy consumption and enhancing material performance are crucial for maximizing the comprehensive low-carbon benefits of MS. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-694a83d8d9864607acbdf2ea9edef824 |
| 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-694a83d8d9864607acbdf2ea9edef8242025-01-26T05:03:53ZengElsevierCase Studies in Construction Materials2214-50952025-07-0122e04287Carbon emissions assessment of concrete and quantitative calculation of CO2 reduction benefits of SCMs: A case study of C30-C80 ready-mixed concrete in ChinaZuojiang Lin0Guangyao Lyu1Kuizhen Fang2China Construction First Group Construction & Development Co., LTD., Beijing 100102, ChinaDepartment of Civil Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, ChinaDepartment of Civil Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China; Corresponding author.This study elucidates the changes in carbon footprint variations in concrete production processes and component contributions due to the use of supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs) and changes in raw material transport distances through the establishment of a large-scale concrete mix proportion database and life-cycle assessment (LCA). The average carbon emissions for C30-C80 concrete were calculated to range from 262.21 to 401.78 kgCO2e/m3, with data showing significant dispersion due to uncertainties in raw materials and experimental conditions. The incorporation of SCMs leads to substantial and unstable changes in cement content, but still generally reduces carbon emissions of concrete by 5 %-30 % at the same strength level, and increased transport distances have little effect on this reduction rate, which diminishes to zero only when distance exceeds 4166 km. In contrast, transporting aggregates over long distances (from 100 km to 500 km) increases carbon emissions by more than 10 % due to huge mass. Manufactured sand (MS) reduces transport emissions when replacing 50 % and 100 % of natural fine aggregates (NFA) but is scarcely beneficial to total CO2e emission due to its higher production energy consumption and negative impact on concrete strength. This study highlights the low-carbon potential of SCMs and underscores that reducing production energy consumption and enhancing material performance are crucial for maximizing the comprehensive low-carbon benefits of MS.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214509525000865Carbon emissionsReady-mixed concreteSupplementary cementitious materialsManufactured sandTransport distance |
| spellingShingle | Zuojiang Lin Guangyao Lyu Kuizhen Fang Carbon emissions assessment of concrete and quantitative calculation of CO2 reduction benefits of SCMs: A case study of C30-C80 ready-mixed concrete in China Case Studies in Construction Materials Carbon emissions Ready-mixed concrete Supplementary cementitious materials Manufactured sand Transport distance |
| title | Carbon emissions assessment of concrete and quantitative calculation of CO2 reduction benefits of SCMs: A case study of C30-C80 ready-mixed concrete in China |
| title_full | Carbon emissions assessment of concrete and quantitative calculation of CO2 reduction benefits of SCMs: A case study of C30-C80 ready-mixed concrete in China |
| title_fullStr | Carbon emissions assessment of concrete and quantitative calculation of CO2 reduction benefits of SCMs: A case study of C30-C80 ready-mixed concrete in China |
| title_full_unstemmed | Carbon emissions assessment of concrete and quantitative calculation of CO2 reduction benefits of SCMs: A case study of C30-C80 ready-mixed concrete in China |
| title_short | Carbon emissions assessment of concrete and quantitative calculation of CO2 reduction benefits of SCMs: A case study of C30-C80 ready-mixed concrete in China |
| title_sort | carbon emissions assessment of concrete and quantitative calculation of co2 reduction benefits of scms a case study of c30 c80 ready mixed concrete in china |
| topic | Carbon emissions Ready-mixed concrete Supplementary cementitious materials Manufactured sand Transport distance |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214509525000865 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT zuojianglin carbonemissionsassessmentofconcreteandquantitativecalculationofco2reductionbenefitsofscmsacasestudyofc30c80readymixedconcreteinchina AT guangyaolyu carbonemissionsassessmentofconcreteandquantitativecalculationofco2reductionbenefitsofscmsacasestudyofc30c80readymixedconcreteinchina AT kuizhenfang carbonemissionsassessmentofconcreteandquantitativecalculationofco2reductionbenefitsofscmsacasestudyofc30c80readymixedconcreteinchina |