Towards more sustainable and environmentally-friendly concretes: the use of silica fume

摘要

Concrete is the most widely used construction material. At the same time, however, the concrete industry is a major CO_2 emitter thus contributing towards global warming. While enhanced efficiency in the production of concrete is not likely to dramatically reduce the CO_2 emissions, cement replacement by a supplementary material or mineral additive, such as silica fume, which is not associated with CO_2 emission, can substantially reduce the aforementioned problem. The present work discusses the benefits of incorporating mineral additives in concrete and shows that these additives can improve both the mechanical and physical properties of the end-product, and hence its durability, albeit with a reduction in cement content.