Purnell, P and Black, L orcid.org/0000-0001-8531-4989 (2012) Embodied carbon dioxide in concrete: Variation with common mix design parameters. Cement and Concrete Research, 42 (6). pp. 874-877. ISSN 0008-8846
Abstract
The transition towards a low-carbon infrastructure requires an understanding of the embodied carbon (eCO 2) associated with concrete. However, much current work on eCO 2 underestimates the complexity of its relationship with concrete mix design. This paper demonstrates how eCO 2 of concrete is not a simple function of strength. Rather, for a given strength, considerable eCO 2 savings can be made by careful attention to basic mix design. Replacement of cement with PFA (pulverised fuel ash) can achieve considerable savings; additionally, using a concrete of lower workability, employing a superplasticiser, using crushed rather than rounded aggregate and using a higher strength of cement can have comparably significant effects. The analysis is presented in terms of embodied carbon per unit strength; this shows that there is an optimum strength for all concretes (with regard to minimising eCO 2 per unit of structural performance) of between 50 and 70 MPa.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. This is an author produced version of a paper published in Cement and Concrete Research. Uploaded in accordance with the publisher's self-archiving policy. |
Keywords: | Compressive strength (C); Concrete (E); Embodied carbon dioxide |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Leeds |
Academic Units: | The University of Leeds > Faculty of Engineering & Physical Sciences (Leeds) > School of Civil Engineering (Leeds) > Institute for Resilient Infrastructure (Leeds) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Publications |
Date Deposited: | 12 Aug 2016 15:37 |
Last Modified: | 16 Jan 2018 07:56 |
Published Version: | https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cemconres.2012.02.005 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Elsevier |
Identification Number: | 10.1016/j.cemconres.2012.02.005 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:86867 |