Technology Roadmap Low-Carbon Transition in the Cement Industry

Technology Roadmap
Low-Carbon Transition in the Cement Industry
precast applications. As no pressurised conditions 
are needed in curing chambers, mobile curing 
equipment is possible to enable onsite cured 
applications. However, the size of the CACS-
based concrete pieces should be limited to enable 
adequate diffusion of the CO
2
inwards and the 
water outwards from the concrete mass (Gartner 
and Sui, 2017). 
The concrete applications of MOMS-based cements 
have not been explored yet at the industrial scale. 
Demonstrating technical performance, especially 
durability under different ambient conditions, and 
long-term safety of cements based on alternative 
binding materials is of paramount importance, 
especially when used for structural applications. 
Product standards are therefore an important 
precursor to their widespread use. 
Belite cements are already covered by existing 
standards in many regions of the world (Gartner 
and Sui, 2017). There are numerous prescriptive 
standards for alkali-activated cements and concretes 
in Ukraine, Russia and other countries in the 
region, where these materials have been used for 
decades. The standardisation of alkali-activated 
binding materials is developing quickly compared 
to the dynamics observed in the construction 
materials industry. National guidelines integrate 
specific references to this type of materials in 
Switzerland. In the United Kingdom, a publicly 
available specification has recently been published 
for alkali-activated binders. In China, the use of 
these materials for chemical resistance applications 
is described by a specific standard, and alkali-
activated binders can be used under performance-
based ASTM standards; further testing standards 
are under development. In some cases, the 
standardisation process was developed bottom-up 
from application specifiers rather than top-down 
from regulators, as in Australia (Provis, 2017). 
Standardisation of BCSA clinkers is still progressing, 
but slowly. Their use in specific well-defined cases 
is possible through technical approval, similar to 
CACS clinkers (Gartner and Sui, 2017). However, 
standardisation of this type of clinker at national/
regional levels in the long term would be desirable 
to facilitate market deployment in applications 
where they can yield economic and environmental 
advantages.