Mineral resources for carbon-free concrete binders
CERIB
Background
Environmental issues and regulatory developments (e.g. RE 2020) imply a strong decarbonisation of constructive systems. For concrete and concrete products, the use of larger amounts of mineral additions in binders or cements with lower clinker content appears to be an essential and promising way to reduce the CO2 impact of constructive concrete solutions.
This report presents an assessment of the short-term availability of mineral additions and components of cements other than clinker and the medium-term outlook for these materials. It highlights the diversity of potential solutions to reduce the environmental impact of concrete. These solutions must be selected on a case-by-case basis based on the requirements required for the intended applications, constructive systems, processes and local material availability.
This report collects data on the main mineral additions used today. First of all, these are limestone and silicaous additions, natural puzzolans and calcined clays. These components correspond to natural resources in large quantities in France and come from the manufacturing processes dedicated to them. Others, such as fly ash, silica fumes and blast furnace dairy, are industrial co-products. For the latter, the quantities available on the market are dependent on possible fluctuations and changes in the industries to which they are linked. It is therefore essential for the general interest and the satisfaction of environmental issues, to anticipate such developments and to carry out actions that will increase the resilience of concrete and construction lines. There are also a number of materials whose use is not currently standardized but which may be of real interest in concretes as well as alternative cements whose use is still relatively recent or under development.
