Breaking Barriers to Low Carbon Concrete Pavements

Several benefits, including low cost, versatility, robustness, and local availability, contribute to concrete being humankind’s most widely used construction material. Possessing one of the lowest carbon footprints of any construction material, its widespread use has rendered concrete one of the largest single sources of anthropogenic greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Therefore, the cement and concrete industries possess an incredible opportunity to reduce overall emissions through adopting technologies, processes, and procedures proven to lower the carbon footprint of concrete. Several roadmaps have been published in recent years, notably by the Portland Cement Association and the Global Cement and Concrete Association outlining the path to concrete carbon neutrality by 2050. The American Concrete Pavement Association has also published a white paper to guide the concrete pavement industry toward sustainability in concrete pavements, recommending pavement design optimization, performance-engineered mixtures, and blended cements for environmentally sustainable concrete pavement design. The path to reducing the carbon footprint of concrete is well-defined by these documents, but there are barriers in the path. These barriers must be identified, addressed, and removed, using a clear plan of action, to successfully achieve carbon reduction goals. The major barriers identified are related to 1) existing materials production and logistics, 2) specifications, testing, and design procedures, and 3) adopting new technologies in a risk-adverse industry. Each is discussed at length, along with an action plan to remove them, clearing the path to concrete carbon neutrality.

• Record URL:
  https://doi.org/10.1177/03611981241250340
• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/issn/03611981
• Supplemental Notes:
  • Sarah Lopez https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1354-6267. © The Authors 2024.
• Authors:
  • Lopez, Sarah
  • 0000-0003-1354-6267
  • Sutter, Lawrence
  • 0000-0002-4047-3094
  • Hooton, R Douglas
  • Van Dam, Thomas
  • Innis, Allison
  • Senn, Kevin
• Publication Date: 2024

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Web
• Features: References;
• Serial:
  • Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board
  • Publisher: Sage Publications, Incorporated
  • ISSN: 0361-1981
  • EISSN: 2169-4052
  • Serial URL: http://journals.sagepub.com/home/trr

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Concrete industry; Concrete pavements; Decarbonization; Environmental impacts; Greenhouse gases; Technological innovations
• Subject Areas: Environment; Highways; Materials; Pavements;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01920553
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS, TRB
• Created Date: Jun 5 2024 4:59PM