Lowering the Carbon Footprint of Concrete by Reducing Clinker Content of Cement

Significant efforts have been made to reduce carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions associated with the manufacture of portland cement, primarily by making the process more energy efficient and increasing the use of alternative fuels. Further reductions in CO₂ can be achieved by lowering the clinker component of the cement because the pyroprocessing used to manufacture clinker produces approximately 1 tonne of CO₂ for every tonne of clinker. Traditionally reductions in the clinker content of cement have been achieved by producing blended cement consisting of portland cement combined with a supplementary cementing material (SCM). In Canada, it is now permitted to intergrind up to 15% limestone with cement clinker to produce portland limestone cement or blended portland limestone cement. Recent trials were conducted at the Brookfield cement plant in Nova Scotia to evaluate the performance of a blended cement containing 15% ground, granulated blast furnace slag (an SCM) with that of a blended portland limestone cement containing the same amount of slag plus 12% interground limestone. Performance was evaluated by the construction of a section of concrete pavement using concrete mixtures produced with the two cements and various amounts of fly ash (another SCM). A wide range of laboratory tests were performed on the concrete specimens cast on site during the placement of the concrete pavement. The results indicated that the cements were of equivalent performance.