Danish Experiences with a Decade of Green Concrete

Article by Claus V. Nielsen and Mette Glavind, Danish Technological Institute
Published in Journal of Advanced Concrete Technology, Japan Concrete Institute, Vol. 5, No. 1 February 2007, pp. 3-12

Abstract
The article presents an overview of the environmental actions of the Danish cement and concrete industry over the last ten years. The areas include reduced Portland clinker content which means improved CO2 footprint of the concrete. It is described how carbonation of concrete after demolition and crushing may improve the CO2 footprint even further by taking into account the absorbtion of CO2 from the atmosphere.

Recently there has been a 3-year project initiated by the Danish cement and concrete industry. This project has succeeded in promoting the image of concrete as a sustainable building material in the Danish public. It is the result of several scientific investigations for instance determining the effect of concrete emissions on the indoor air quality and the solution to hydrocarbon pollution in concrete slurry at the concrete plant. Finally the article contains examples of how to improve the sustainability of concrete production and how to produce green concrete. Green concrete is the term used in Denmark for environmentally friendly concrete production and structures.