Research evolution of limestone calcined clay cement (LC3), a promising low-carbon binder – A comprehensive overview

Limestone calcined clay cement (LC³) is a recently developed binder with huge potential to reduce the clinker factor in cement and the environmental impact. This study aimed to evaluate the evolution of the research on LC³ by conducting a bibliometric analysis, evaluating key metrics such as publications, authorships, sources, or countries, to provide greater knowledge and a strategic vision of this technology. This work provides an important perspective of the field and elucidates the research trends and path that the LC³ technology followed from its beginning to date. The analysis reveals a noticeable increase in technology readiness and researchers' interest, as indicated by a significant rise in publications' number over time. Also, the authorship metrics reveal an important cooperation between communities in the development of this technology. The research on LC³ is essential since the technology is a viable and reliable approach to decreasing the cement industry's carbon footprint.