Production of Portland cement is responsible for about seven percent of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions. The pressure to make the production of concrete more sustainable, or "greener", is considerable and increasing. This requires a wholesale shift in processes, materials and methods in the concrete industry. Pure Portland cement will need to be replaced by more complex binary, tertiary or even quaternary binders, including other types of cementitious materials. We can expect an increasing use of high performance concrete, primarily because of its high sustainability and durability. Much more attention will have to be paid to the proper curing of the concrete if we want to improve its life expectancy.
Presenting the latest advances in the science of concrete this book focuses particularly on sustainability, durability, and economy. It explores the potential for increased sustainability in concrete from the initial mixing right through to its behaviour in complex structures exposed to different types of loads and aggressive environments.
Introduction
Terminology and Definitions
The Water/Cement and Water/Binder Ratios
Durability, Sustainability and Profitability
Modern Binders
Water
Superplasticizers
Aggregates
Entrained Air
Hydration Reactions
Shrinkage
Curing
High Performance Concrete
Specifying High Performance Concrete
Operating a Ready Mix Plant with Consideration of the Environment
Biography
Pierre-Claude Aïtcin is Professor Emeritus at the Université de Sherbrooke, Canada and is the author of Binders for Durable and Sustainable Concrete and High Performance Concrete.
Sidney Mindess is Professor at the University of British Columbia, Canada and is the co-author of Aggregates in Concrete and of Fibre Reinforced Cementitious Composites.