New cements: a look at the future of the construction sector for an ecological transition

Concrete is the most widely used building material in the world: its fundamental component is clinker, the production of which results in the emission of 900 kg of CO2 per ton of concrete. The impact on the environment deriving from the consumption of water to be included in the mixture and the extraction of aggregates, which are usually natural gravels of calcareous origin, is also not negligible and creates impoverishment of re-sources. The aim of this study is to promote the use of cements in concrete that are made up of a reduced percentage of clinker, replaced by more sustainable materials. Several experimental studies conducted by various re-searchers comparing traditional type I cement with type II, II/C-M, V and VI cements are taken into consideration. The comparison between the various products is carried out not only in terms of resistance at 28 days, but the entire maturation cycle is taken into account. The workability of the material obtained is also considered, wanting to guarantee the possibility of producing a concrete that can assume all the fluidity classes defined by the regulation. A further aspect that is analyzed is represented by carbon dioxide emissions: for each type of cement the release of CO2 into the atmosphere is analyzed, defining an innovative efficiency parameter given by the ratio between the mechanical resistance and carbon dioxide emissions per m3 of concrete. The aim of this work is to demonstrate the effectiveness of the new mixtures required by the regulation, encouraging the designer of the future to adopt them on site, in order to obtain a more sustainable construction sector. The results obtained can also be a starting point for future regulations that would introduce the concept not only of the concrete resistance, but also of the environmental efficiency.