Environmental Performance Assessment of Cementitious Construction Materials and Structures

Dear Colleagues,

The cement industry accounts for 6–8% of the world's carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions. To achieve carbon neutrality, many technologies have been increasingly developed to reduce CO₂ emissions from cement-based materials and structures, including CO₂ capture from cement factories, the use of waste in cement and concrete production, a decrease in the clinker ratio (e.g., blended cement), clinker-free cement (alkali-activated materials, geopolymer, etc.), and CO₂ curing or mixing of concrete, etc. Self-compacting concrete and 3D-printed concrete may reduce the environmental burden (EB) in the construction stage of concrete; high-performance concrete (HPC) may reduce the EB in the life cycle of concrete structures by reducing a component’s size and increasing the life span; however, the processes of CO₂ capture/curing/mixing, recycled material production, the operation of 3D printing equipment, and the production of admixtures used in HPCs also emit CO₂. Therefore, an environmental assessment needs to be conducted for the life span of materials and structures.

The use of recycled materials does not only reduce carbon emissions, but also saves natural resources, landfill sites, etc. Therefore, a comprehensive life cycle assessment (LCA) is required for multi-EB items. Additionally, the LCA not only quantifies the EB, but also allows for a comparison of EBs of different materials and structures. Therefore, the methodologies for the integration of different EBs, and for the comparison of EBs between materials or structures with different technical properties, are also important issues.

The presented Special Issue concerns the publication of an LCA of cement-based materials and structures using alternative raw materials or new production/construction techniques. It will cover, but will not be limited to, the following topics: LCAs, life cycle impact assessments (LCIAs), integrated assessment methodologies, energy consumption analyses, environmental performance, computer-aided LCA tools, external or social cost calculations, environmental efficiency, building LCAs, and environmental benefit evaluations of waste utilization.

Prof. Dr. Zhuguo Li
Guest Editor

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