International Concrete Abstracts Portal

The concrete industry is at a turning point, with a growing focus on sustainability reshaping how cement and concrete are designed, produced, and implemented. To remain relevant in today’s market, all industry stakeholders must stay informed about evolving practices and new materials that can support sustainable construction.

Geopolymer International (GPI) specializes in the research, development, and production of geopolymer-based sustainable construction materials. Through the collaborative efforts of GPI, Sustainable Concrete Solutions, and Constructions-3D, universities, artists, hardscape producers, and constructors now have access to cutting edge, recyclable materials and sophisticated 3-D printers.

In July of 1983, the Canada Centre for Mineral and Energy Technology of Natural Resources Canada (CANMET), in association with the American Concrete Institute (ACI) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, sponsored a 5-day international conference in Montebello, Quebec, Canada, on the use of fly ash, silica fume, slag, and other mineral by-products in concrete. The conference brought together representatives from industry, academia, and government agencies to present the latest information on these materials and to explore new areas of needed research. Since then, eight other such conferences have been held around the world (Madrid, Trondheim, Istanbul, Milwaukee, Bangkok, Madras, Las Vegas, and Warsaw). The 2007 Warsaw Conference was the last in this series. In 2017, due to the renewed interest in alternative and sustainable binders and supplementary cementitious materials, a new series was launched by Sherbrooke University (Professor Arezki Tagnit-Hamou), American Concrete Institute (ACI), and the International Union of Laboratories and Experts in Construction Materials, Systems and Structures (RILEM)—in association with a number of other organizations in Canada, the United States, and the Caribbean—sponsored the 10th ACI/RILEM International Conference on Cementitious Materials and Alternative Binders for Sustainable Concrete (ICCM2017). The conference was held October 2-4, 2017, in Montréal, Canada. The conference proceedings, containing 50 reviewed papers from more than 33 countries, were published as ACI SP-320. In 2021, UdeS, ACI, and RILEM, in association with Université de Toulouse and a number of other organizations in Canada, the United States, and Europe, sponsored the 11th ACI/RILEM International Conference on Cementitious Materials and Alternative Binders for Sustainable Concrete (ICCM2021). The conference was scheduled to take place in Toulouse, but due to COVID, it was held online June 7-10, 2021. The conference proceedings, containing 53 reviewed papers from more than 21 countries, were published as ACI SP-349. In 2024, the conference was finally held in-person in Toulouse from June 23 to 26, 2024, with the support of UdeS, ACI, and RILEM in association with Université de Toulouse (Martin Cyr) and a number of other organizations in Canada, the United States, and Europe. The purpose of this international conference was to present the latest scientific and technical information in the field of supplementary cementitious materials and novel binders for use in concrete. The new aspect of this conference is to highlight advances in the field of alternative and sustainable binders and supplementary cementitious materials for the transition to low carbon concrete. The conference proceedings, containing 78 reviewed papers from more than 25 countries, have been published as ACI SP-362. Thanks are extended to the members of the International Scientific Committee who reviewed the papers. The cooperation of the authors in accepting the reviewers’ suggestions and revising their manuscripts accordingly is greatly appreciated. The involvement of the steering committee and the organizing committee is gratefully acknowledged. Special thanks go to Chantal Brien (Université de Sherbrooke) for the administrative work associated with the conference and for processing the manuscripts for both the ACI proceedings and the supplementary volume. Arezki Tagnit Hamou, Editor Chairman, 12th ACI/RILEM International Conference on Cementitious Materials and Alternative Binders for Sustainable Concrete (ICCM2024). Sherbrooke, Canada, 2024

This article presents the characterizations of mechanical and durability properties on diverse concrete formulas with a lower carbon footprint. The contribution of mineral additions in the binder is currently limited by the NF EN 206/CN (2022) standard with the concept of the equivalent binder. It is now necessary to change these normative provisions to expand low-carbon concrete solutions and accelerate their development in construction. The objective of this study is to formulate concretes based on ternary binders and to evaluate their use properties compared to traditional concrete defined today in the normative context. Several types of addition have been used to form ternary binders: limestone addition, blast-furnace slag, and flash metakaolin. The results obtained with substitution rates ranging from 40% to 60% of clinker have allowed positioning these different concretes regarding the thresholds defined for the performance-based approach according to FD P 18-480 (2022).

Normal Portland cement (PC) and calcium sulfoaluminate (CSA) cements are two distinct types of cement binders exhibiting different hydration processes and mechanical properties. Blends of these two binders can produce a more suitable material for specific construction purposes. However, the effects of retarders in blended PC-CSA systems are not well understood, despite the well-established properties of retarders in pure PC and CSA cement binders. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the influence of various retarders (citric acid, borax, tartaric acid, and blends of citric acid and borax/tartaric acid) in an 85 wt.% CSA and 15 wt.% PC blend through the use of different techniques, such as calorimetry, ultrasonic testing, thermogravimetry analyses, scanning electron microscopy with electron dispersive x-ray spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and mechanical testing. The morphology of ettringite, a mineral formed during the hydration process of CSA cement, is studied and found to vary significantly depending on the retarders used. In addition, these different types of ettringites significantly affect the mechanical properties of the cement. This research provides insight into the impact of retarders on the properties of blended PC-CSA systems and could aid in designing more durable and sustainable concrete structures. The findings of this study could also contribute to the development of new and improved cement-based products by enhancing our fundamental understanding of the setting and hardening of cementitious materials.