Sustainable Construction - Slabs

Concrete is used in many buildings and construction projects due to its durability, versatility, and cost-effectiveness. It’s arguably one of the most used materials in the world where we use roughly 5 billion cubic meters of it annually. That’s enough to build 5436 cities the size of New York City!

Concrete is a composite material made up of cement, water, aggregates (such as sand and gravel), and sometimes additives. Unfortunately, it is one of the biggest contributors to global warming. The primary reason is cement, a key ingredient in concrete, is manufactured by heating limestone (calcium carbonate) with other materials to produce clinker, which is then ground into a fine powder to make cement. This process releases a significant amount of carbon dioxide as a byproduct. The chemical reaction that converts limestone to clinker releases CO2 directly, known as the calcination process. Additionally, the energy-intensive nature of cement kilns contributes to emissions. The production of cement and concrete requires significant amounts of energy, much of which comes from burning fossil fuels. The combustion of fossil fuels, such as coal, oil, and natural gas, releases CO2 into the atmosphere. This process is a major source of emissions associated with concrete production. The International Energy Agency estimates that for every ton of cement produced, about 0.85 tons of CO2 are emitted.