Title:
Should Alkali-activated Materials Compete with Portland Cement?
Author(s):
John Provis
Publication:
Web Session
Volume:
Issue:
Appears on pages(s):
Keywords:
DOI:
Date:
3/28/2021
Abstract:
Discussions of innovative cement and concrete materials are often - and often logically - framed in terms of competition, replacement, or substitution of one material by another. However, in the drive for sustainable development in the construction sector, it may be interesting to re-frame the question from a different viewpoint: How can we best select and specify a cement, from among our toolkit of available material types, to produce a concrete that is fit for purpose in a given application, and which minimises the overall emissions footprint of the sector? When viewed from this perspective, the need for materials to compete with each other (as framed in the title question of this 123 Forum) can be revised into a discussion of how best to select and specify a material from the broader toolkit that is now increasingly becoming available. This also necessitates regulatory frameworks and supply chains to underpin the ability to actually use the materials that are selected; some examples of progress in this regard, specifically related to alkali-activated materials, will be discussed.