An investigation of current status of “green” concrete in the construction industry

Concrete is the most largely consumed construction material worldwide. The production of raw materials used in concrete such as Portland cement requires a significant amount of energy input and causes various environmental problems (e.g., emission of greenhouse gases). The “green” concrete in this paper is defined as the concrete produced by utilizing alternative and/or recycled waste materials (such as fly ash and recycled concrete aggregates) to reduce energy consumption, environmental impact, and natural resource use. One of major issues ass ociated with “green” concrete is how the alternative/waste cementitious and aggregate materials affect concrete properties compared with the conventional Portland cement concrete. Another important issue is whether all the benefits and barriers of producin g “green” concrete have been adequately understood or addressed. In addition, it is unknown whether a consistent understanding of the current status of “green” concrete exists between academia and industry. This paper first discusses potential benefits of using alternative and/or waste materials in concrete production, followed by a review of previous studies on “green” concrete. The paper further investigates the current status of producing “green” concrete in the construction industry by surveying concret e suppliers/manufacturers in the U.S. The findings presented provide a deeper understanding on the production and implementation of “green” concrete.