Reducing the Carbon Footprint of Concrete by Expanding the Use of Supplementary Cementitious Materials

Within the concrete industry, a viable approach for decreasing the carbon footprint of concrete projects is the use of supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs) to replace a portion of portland cement. While a variety of SCMs have been identified and used in concrete, renewed efforts to reduce carbon dioxide emissions may require development of new sources of SCMs. The objective of this research was to summarize information about several potential SCMs and propose new research that should be conducted to address current and future needs. Specifically, information about fly ash, volcanic materials, glass, and agricultural waste products is presented.