Reducing GHG Emissio

Cement Usage

Reducing GHG Emissio

Cement Usage

Tom Pyle, P.E.Climate Action Team, CemGroup LeaderMarch 25, 2009


Technician 

in cement 

lab testing 

cement
Engineers who solve p

Engineers who solve p

Cement Truck vs a Concr

Cement Truck vs a Conc

Cement Truck

Conc
Concrete placement Concrete placement
What is the difference? What is the difference?

 Cement: Concrete: 

Courtesy: Po
What is the big deal abo

cement plant?

What is the big deal aboucement plant?

 Cement manufacturing facility..
Climate Action Tea

Climate Action Tea

Governor’s Office

California Environmental Protection 

Air Resources Board

Agriculture Forests Business/ Industry Energy Water Transportation Hi

GW

Ga

 Land use/VMT Vehicles Fuels

 Cement Semiconductor 

manufacturer

 Oil and 

gas/refining
What is cement? What is cement?

 Cement is the ingredient in conc

binds the rock and sand togethehard and durable product.

 Cement only needs access to wa

harden.

 Cement is made from melting lim

rock, adding some other mineralmetals, and then letting the new harden as cement “clinker” in a k
What is cement? 

What is cement? 

 The clinker is then ground ve

make cement powder.

 The chemical process of cha

limestone to clinker releases 

the atmosphere.

 Firing the kiln to 3000 degre

releases greenhouse gasses combustion, just as an automengine does.
CO2 emissions fr

p

CO2 emissions fr

p

~ 7% worldwide.~ 32% in China.~ 2.5% in California.~ 2% in the U.S. Producing a ton of cementproduces about a ton of CO2!

Source: Energy Infor
California cement pro

imports and pro

California cement pro

imports and pro

02468

10121416182022

1990

1991

1992

1993

1994

1995

1996

1997

1998

1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

Cement, MMT 
California’s GHG Red

Targets

California’s GHG Red

Targets

2020: Reduce to 1

(28% below 

2050: Reduce 80% 

levels.
Magnitude of the C

Magnitude of the C

Magnitude of the C

0

100200300400500600700

1990 2000 2010 202

CO2 equivalent, MMT 1990 emission baseline

~174 MMT C
GHG emission com

GHG emission com

Concrete truck Pas

One concrete truck:5,150 lbs of CO

2

One ca11,45
GHG emission com

GHG emission com

Concrete truck Pas

One concrete truck:5,150 lbs of CO

2

One ca11,45

Conclusion:

2 concrete trucks 

≅ 1 car fo
Clinch River, Flyash 

Clinch River, Flyash 




Fly ash: by-product of coal p

Fly ash: by-product of coal 

Courte

Notes. Navajo Generating Station located at Page, AZ

Fly ash class F production: 550,000 tons distrib
Clinch River, Flyash 

Clinch River, Flyash 


Slag: by-product of iron p

Slag: by-product of iron p

Courtes
Pier table: 25% fly ash

SCM amount in SF

SCM amount in SF

Pier column: 50% slag

Pile: 35% fly ash

Precast lightweight panels: 25% fly ash

Precast fender: 20% fly ash

Lightweight footing cell: 60% fly ash
W

W

 Can substitute cement Makes better concrete Doubly environmental be

Reduce GHG emissioUse recycled products

 Cost less than cement

Fly ash(Class C)

Fly ash (Class F)

Slag

Metakaolin

Silica fume

Calcined

shale
Caltrans’ use of cement in p

and structures

Caltrans’ use of cement in p

and structures

 On average, Caltrans uses abou

“sacks” of cementitious materials which is cement) per cubic yard concrete.

 A sack of cement weights 94 pou Therefore, about 450 lbs of ceme

lbs of other cementitious materiaper cubic yard of concrete.
Reduction in use of cement b

results in lower greenhouse g

Reduction in use of cement by 

results in lower greenhouse g

 Caltrans’ goal is to reduce – as soon 

possible – the amount of cement uspavements and bridges by up to 50%yet have stronger, longer-lasting con

 Some of the cement made from kiln

sources may be replaced in a concrmixture by using other cementitious materials which are mainly recycled products.

 Thus CO

2 levels will be lowered and 

products used instead of newly prodmaterials.
Cement and Supplementary Cementiti

Cement and Supplementary Cementiti

Fly ash

Silica fume

Cement

Source: American Concrete P