Threading the Needle: Balancing Sustainability, Durability, and Constructability in Modern Concrete Design
Presented By: Daniel Lucas
Affiliation: NexGen Contracting
Description: Concrete professionals are facing the growing challenge of meeting environmental goals without sacrificing performance or constructability. This presentation explores how to “thread the needle” between sustainability requirements, durability demands, and real-world constructability. Attendees will gain insight into how evolving specifications, materials technology, and mix design innovations can align sustainability targets with long-term structural performance. Through practical examples and lessons learned from the field, the discussion will highlight strategies for optimizing mix designs, evaluating embodied carbon versus service life, and maintaining workability and quality standards. The session will equip contractors, engineers, and owners with a balanced approach to designing and building concrete structures that are both responsible and resilient
Sustainable Concrete Pavements with Blended Cements
Presented By: Julie Buffenbarger
Affiliation: St Marys Cement
Description: Transportation infrastructure management has traditionally focused on the safety and reliability without deliberately incorporating sustainability considerations. Recently, national, state and municipal governing bodies, the engineering community and society as a whole, are realizing the enormous investment of materials, energy, capital, and social costs affiliated with infrastructure system design, construction and maintenance. Approaches to help achieve higher infrastructure sustainability and resiliency include design and construction techniques to provide longer-lasting pavements, use of recycled materials in construction, and increasing the use of supplemental cementitious materials (SCMs) and Portland limestone cements in concrete mixture designs. Concrete materials manufactured with blended cements intrinsically reduce greenhouse gas emissions by reducing Portland cement usage. In addition, blended cement concrete containing SCMs may substantially increase the pavement service life providing the most cost-effective method to reducing the economic, environmental and societal impacts (triple bottom line) of surface transportation
Durability Properties Related to Corrosion of Concretes Using Alternative Cements
Presented By: Neal Berke
Affiliation: Tourney Consulting Group, LLC
Description: A large study was conducted for the Federal Highway Administration evaluating the properties of concrete produced with alternative cementitious materials (ACMs). ACMs provide a significant reduction in the carbon footprint which was documented in the study. The program involving Georgia Tech, The Oklahoma State University, Army Corps of Engineers and Tourney Consulting Group, evaluated numerous properties including workability and setting times, strength, freezing and thawing resistance and transport and corrosion properties. This presentation focuses on the transport properties and corrosion testing on specimens with reinforcing steel. Some ACMs performed better than ordinary portland cement (OPC), and a few were worse than OPC.
Meeting OPC Performance Specifications with Type IL Cement
Presented By: Mark Dixon
Affiliation:
Description: The introduction of ASTM C594 Type IL cement occurred when some major concrete projects were in progress that were using ASTM C150 Type I-II cement. The reinforced concrete designs called for 100 years or more service life, without major repairs, and there was considerable concern as to whether the projects could continue with Type IL cement and still meet the durability and service life requirements. This presentation provides concrete durability testing data showing how the replacement mixes with Type IL cement compared to the mixes using Type I-II cement.
A Thermodynamic Perspective on Allowable Admixed Chloride Limits and Critical Chloride Thresholds in Concrete with Low Clinker Binders
Presented By: Burkan Isgor
Affiliation: Oregon State University School of Civil and Constr
Description: The use of low-clinker binders in concrete has significant implications on allowable admixed chloride limits and critical chloride thresholds. This presentation will use thermodynamic calculations to show that when using low-clinker binders for corrosion performance, the focus should be on calcium hydroxide content, pH buffering capacity, chloride binding capacity, and pH. It will also be demonstrated that higher SCM reactivity does not always equate better corrosion performance even though the concrete could be more resistant to chloride ingress. When considering allowable admixed chloride limits and critical chloride thresholds, clinker reducing fillers like limestone, as well as SCM chemical composition, reactivity, and replacement level need to be considered.
Critical Chloride Threshold with 1L and SCMs: Experimental Evaluation
Presented By: Ceki Halmen
Affiliation: University of Missouri - Kansas City
Description: Chloride-induced corrosion is one of the most significant deterioration mechanisms affecting the service life of reinforced concrete structures. The amount of chloride ions present at the steel–cementitious matrix interface that initiates corrosion, known as the critical chloride threshold (CCT), plays a key role in determining the durability and service life of these systems. While supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs) are widely recognized for reducing concrete permeability and slowing chloride ingress, several studies have suggested that their use may also decrease the CCT value. This study investigates the critical chloride threshold of various systems containing Type IL cement in combination with different SCMs. The evaluation was conducted using the recently developed OCcrit test method, which provides a new framework for quantifying the CCT in cementitious systems.
Evaluating the Sustainability of Steel Reinforcement: A Comparative Study of Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs)
Presented By: Parisha Chanodia
Affiliation: CRSI
Description: This presentation examines the sustainability profile of reinforcing steel through a comparative analysis of Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) for uncoated and corrosion-resistant bar products. It discusses the results of industry-average EPDs for ASTM A615 and A706 reinforcing bars, highlighting embodied carbon metrics, life-cycle modules, and their relevance to Buy Clean and low-carbon procurement programs. The presentation also explores EPDs for corrosion-resistant reinforcing (CRR) steels, emphasizing their durability benefits and the influence of corrosion protection on life-cycle impacts and service life extension. Overall, it provides a holistic perspective on how verified EPD data can support sustainable design, transparency, and resilience in reinforced concrete infrastructure.