Development of Low Carbon Concrete Solutions with Alternative Local Ontario Materials

The impact of concrete on the environment has been a concern in recent years due to the significant CO2 footprint associated with cement production. Thus, reducing such an impact is of paramount importance to reach the ever-challenging sustainability targets. Multiple studies have been performed to develop innovative mix design approaches that aim to replace cement with supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs) and mitigate the CO2 emission. Yet, the industry is experiencing a limited supply of some of these SCMs such as fly ash. To overcome this issue, the present study aims to develop low carbon concrete solutions, ECOPACT, that incorporate alternative local Ontario materials, yield appropriate fresh and hardened properties, and have no impact on construction schedule. An experimental research program was designed to assess the possibility of reaching a minimum of 30% CO2 savings in a wide range of concrete mixes. Results showed that the low carbon concrete samples tested in this study had similar fresh properties as the benchmark. In addition, the compressive strength of the low carbon concrete samples was comparable to that of the benchmark at later ages. Study results showed that developing low carbon concrete mixes with 30% to 40% of CO2 savings is achievable, while satisfying performance, maintaining constructability and project aspects.