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Advanced and Sustainable Low-Carbon Cement and Concrete Materials (Second Edition)

A special issue of Materials (ISSN 1996-1944). This special issue belongs to the section "Construction and Building Materials".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 February 2025 | Viewed by 2066

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Faculty of Civil Engineering (FSV), Czech Technical University in Prague, Thákurova 7, 166 29 Prague, Czech Republic
Interests: materials engineering; materials chemistry; silicates; building materials; glass-based composites; inorganic binders
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The production of concrete is consistently higher each year than the production of all other materials combined. Cement, a key ingredient in concrete, accounts for around 7% of global CO2 emissions, is the second-largest industrial emitter of CO2 after iron and steel and its manufacturing process accounts for 95% of the carbon footprint of concrete. According to the International Energy Agency's Sustainable Development Goals, cement producers should reduce their carbon intensity at an annual rate of 0.3% per ton of cement produced by 2030. New technologies and materials are constantly being developed to complement current practices for creating greener structures. The common goal to design green buildings to reduce the overall impact of the built environment on human health and the natural environment through the efficient use of energy, water and other resources; to protect the health of occupants and improve the productivity of employees; and to reduce waste, pollution and environmental degradation. There are some widely known green materials that can be used in the construction of buildings, which are recyclable, reusable, can reduce energy waste in the home and also reduce the economic and environmental impact of waste disposal.

Therefore, this Special Issue is dedicated to recent research focused on the development of advanced building materials and components that contribute to the systematisation and dissemination of knowledge related to the long-term performance and durability of construction materials in line with sustainability and eco-efficiency. Among others, the reuse of secondary raw materials in the development of composite materials, supplementary cementitious materials and alternative binders are the focus of the studies published in this Special Issue. Thus, this Special Issue will present new developments in the field of durable advanced building materials, systems and components, and their characterisation, life prediction methods and maintenance management. It will serve as an overview of the current state of knowledge for the benefit of professionals such as materials engineers, designers and production engineers.

Prof. Dr. Milena Pavlíková
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • sustainability
  • eco-efficiency
  • advanced materials
  • composites
  • low-carbon cement
  • secondary raw materials
  • alternative binders
  • supplementary cementitious materials

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

12 pages, 2279 KiB  
Article
Shrinkage and Creep Properties of Low-Carbon Hybrid Cement
by Vít Šmilauer, Lenka Dohnalová and Pavel Martauz
Materials 2024, 17(17), 4417; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma17174417 - 7 Sep 2024
Viewed by 491
Abstract
Hybrid cements combine clinker with large amount of supplementary cementitious materials while utilizing hydration and alkali activation processes. This paper summarizes shrinkage and creep properties of industrially produced H-cement, containing only 20% of Portland clinker. In comparison with a reference cement CEM II/B-S [...] Read more.
Hybrid cements combine clinker with large amount of supplementary cementitious materials while utilizing hydration and alkali activation processes. This paper summarizes shrinkage and creep properties of industrially produced H-cement, containing only 20% of Portland clinker. In comparison with a reference cement CEM II/B-S 32.5 R, autogenous shrinkage is smaller after 7 days, and drying shrinkage is similar at similar times. A different capillary system of H-cement leads to faster water mass loss during drying. Basic and total creep of concrete remains in the standard deviation of B4 and EC2 creep models. The results demonstrate that shrinkage and creep properties of concrete made from H-cement have similar behavior as conventional structural concrete or high-volume fly ash concrete. Full article
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18 pages, 6192 KiB  
Article
Simultaneous Immobilization of Heavy Metals in MKPC-Based Mortar—Experimental Assessment
by Zbyšek Pavlík, Martina Záleská, Milena Pavlíková, Adam Pivák, Jana Nábělková, Ondřej Jankovský, Adéla Jiříčková, Oskar Chmel and Filip Průša
Materials 2023, 16(24), 7525; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma16247525 - 6 Dec 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1149
Abstract
Heavy metal contamination, associated with the increase in industrial production and the development of the population in general, poses a significant risk in terms of the contamination of soil, water, and, consequently, industrial plants and human health. The presence of ecotoxic heavy metals [...] Read more.
Heavy metal contamination, associated with the increase in industrial production and the development of the population in general, poses a significant risk in terms of the contamination of soil, water, and, consequently, industrial plants and human health. The presence of ecotoxic heavy metals (HMs) thus significantly limits the sustainable development of society and contributes to the deterioration of the quality of the environment as a whole. For this reason, the stabilization and immobilization of heavy metals is a very topical issue. This paper deals with the possibility of the simultaneous immobilization of heavy metals (Ba2+, Pb2+, and Zn2+) in mortar based on magnesium potassium phosphate cement (MKPC). The structural, mechanical, and hygric parameters of mortars artificially contaminated with heavy metals in the form of salt solutions were investigated together with the formed hydration products. In the leachates of the prepared samples, the content of HMs was measured and the immobilization ratio of each HM was determined. The immobilization rate of all the investigated HMs was >98.7%, which gave information about the effectiveness of the MKPC-based matrix for HM stabilization. Furthermore, the content of HMs in the leachates was below the prescribed limits for non-hazardous waste that can be safely treated without any environmental risks. Although the presence of heavy metals led to a reduction in the strength of the prepared mortar (46.5% and 57.3% in compressive and flexural strength, respectively), its mechanical resistance remained high enough for many construction applications. Moreover, the low values of the parameters characterizing the water transport (water absorption coefficient Aw = 4.26 × 10−3 kg·m−2·s−1/2 and sorptivity S = 4.0 × 10−6 m·s−1/2) clearly demonstrate the limited possibility of the leaching of heavy metals from the MKPC matrix structure. Full article
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