Expectations for Submissions on Sustainable Cementitious Materials for ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering

ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering (ACS SCE) aims to publish research that contributes substantially to a more sustainable future.Few material systems illustrate this imperative more clearly than cement and concrete, which form the foundation of global infrastructure.With global cement production exceeding 3.8 billion t annually, 1 sustainability challenges in this field are important to the mission of ACS SCE.These challenges extend well beyond incremental improvements and include the need for new chemistries, alternative feedstocks, and transformative approaches to processing, performance, and circularity.As international climate strategies evolve and the demand for cementitious materials accelerates, transparent, quantitative, and scientifically rigorous advancements in cement and concrete research are essential for achieving global sustainability goals. ■ WHY DOES SUSTAINABILITY MATTER FOR CEMENTITIOUS MATERIALS?Modern cement systems include portland cement, blended cements, and other established hydraulic and nonhydraulic binders.However, portland cement-based materials dominate global production and use, reflecting mature raw-material supply chains, extensive manufacturing infrastructure, well-established performance standards and specifications, and economic advantages that create substantial barriers to market entry for emerging sustainable cement technologies.The production of portland cement accounts for approximately 18% of global industrial water consumption 2 and about 8% of anthropogenic CO 2 emissions. 3These emissions arise from two coupled sources: process emissions released during limestone calcination and energy-related emissions associated with fuel combustion.Clinker production, the kiln-based step chemically binding calcium oxide from limestone with aluminates, silicates, and ferrites from clays and sand that yields the intermediate precursor to portland cement, is particularly energy intensive, requiring temperatures higher than 1450 °C. 4 Consequently, CO 2 emissions are intrinsic to both the process chemistry and the thermal energy required to drive clinker formation.In addition to clinker-related impacts, the sustainability of concrete, a mixture of cement, water, a fine aggregate (e.g., sand), and a coarse aggregate (e.g., crushed stone and river gravel), is strongly influenced by aggregate demand.Aggregates typically comprise 70-80% of concrete by volume. 5Although aggregates are comparatively low in embodied CO 2 per unit mass relative to portland cement, their extraction, processing, and transport contribute to land-use change, habitat disruption, freshwater consumption, and particulate emissions.Natural