For people outside the construction industry, it comes as a big surprise to know that concrete is the second most consumed material in the world after water. While it may sound outrageous, it makes sense: concrete seems to be everywhere in the built environment, from roads and bridges to buildings, dams and waterways.
And the industry is massive. More than 600,000 professionals work in the cement and concrete ecosystem, which generates more than $100 billion in the U.S. economy each year. This breadth makes it an ideal starting point for making changes towards a more sustainable built environment in the future.
The manufacture of cement, the main ingredient in concrete, emits carbon into the atmosphere. It is one of the many contributors to climate change. But now, U.S. cement manufacturers are taking steps to reduce those emissions and ultimately reach a carbon-neutral state within the next quarter century.
PCA, the Portland Cement Association, in partnership with leaders in the U.S. cement and concrete industry, is conducting this initiative with the Roadmap to carbon neutrality. It is a multi-layered plan that directly addresses how various industry players can reduce emissions while continuing to meet domestic demand for the world’s most durable and sustainable building material, all the way to 2050.
Along the entire value chain from cement to concrete to construction, there are supporting actions, technologies and policies that can help achieve and even accelerate this audacious goal.
At the Cement
Replacing raw materials with recycled and decarbonated materials can reduce and even eliminate CO2 emissions from the processing stage. More importantly, low-carbon cement mixes that use existing and alternative materials can lead to both short- and long-term carbon reduction. Portland limestone cement, an existing low-carbon mixture, reduces clinker consumption and lowers carbon emissions. Many plants are integrating more energy-efficient improvements to reduce the amount of CO2 emitted per ton of raw product. These are achievable short-term goals that are already paying dividends.
In the Design and Construction Phase
Architects, engineers and construction companies can contribute to a lower carbon future by considering building needs more specifically, improving design specifications to be more performance oriented and using only necessary materials and avoiding excess emissions The use of renewable or low-carbon fuels for trucks and transport and on-site machinery has an immediate and direct effect on everyday emissions. And increasing the use of recycled materials diverts additional waste from landfills and improves overall financial efficiency throughout the built environment.
Embracing a lower carbon future
Concrete structures are inherently durable and long-lasting, and generally require less frequent maintenance than other materials. If a concrete building is being demolished to make way for a new structure, the concrete can be recycled, limiting the use of additional raw materials and the resulting production emissions. In addition, increasing the energy efficiency of buildings can reduce emissions from heating and cooling systems. Research and investment in emerging technologies that capture carbon before it is emitted and reuse it for another purpose or store it, commonly known as carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS), is a long-term goal, but can produce greater measurable gains.
The cement industry is already taking important steps and interesting ideas have emerged. But to succeed, PCA and cement manufacturers are calling on the entire concrete construction value chain to help achieve this goal by rethinking their roles, setting their own bars higher, and advocating for the regulatory and legislative policies necessary to achieve carbon neutrality.
To find ways to get involved in this exciting and important initiative, learn more about the mission at www.cementprogress.com
