Breaking Barriers to Low Carbon Concrete Pavements

Several benefits, including low cost, versatility, robustness, and local availability, contribute to concrete being humankind’s most widely used construction material. Possessing one of the lowest carbon footprints of any construction material, its widespread use has rendered concrete one of the largest single sources of anthropogenic greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Therefore, the cement and concrete industries possess an incredible opportunity to reduce overall emissions through adopting technologies, processes, and procedures proven to lower the carbon footprint of concrete. Several roadmaps have been published in recent years, notably by the Portland Cement Association and the Global Cement and Concrete Association outlining the path to concrete carbon neutrality by 2050. The American Concrete Pavement Association has also published a white paper to guide the concrete pavement industry toward sustainability in concrete pavements, recommending pavement design optimization, performance-engineered mixtures, and blended cements for environmentally sustainable concrete pavement design. The path to reducing the carbon footprint of concrete is well-defined by these documents, but there are barriers in the path. These barriers must be identified, addressed, and removed, using a clear plan of action, to successfully achieve carbon reduction goals. The major barriers identified are related to 1) existing materials production and logistics, 2) specifications, testing, and design procedures, and 3) adopting new technologies in a risk-adverse industry. Each is discussed at length, along with an action plan to remove them, clearing the path to concrete carbon neutrality.