Reports on CO2 Uptake from the Carbonation of Concrete - Concrete Statistics

Information on the use of concrete in Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Iceland
by Gudni Jonsson, IBRI, Iceland

Abstract
The report presents tables of concrete production in four Nordic countries, Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Iceland. The three years which have been selected as representatives for the past, the present and the future are 1950, 2004 and 2050. Thus the information should give some idea of the development through a span of one hundred years.

The concrete production in each country is divided into three classes, Ready-Mix Concrete, Precast Elements and Precast Concrete Products. In addition, tables of production quantities in each strength class are presented, together with typical mix designs. Also concrete strength classes for main building components are provided.

A wealth of information is needed to calculate the CO₂ uptake. The most important parameters are concrete quantity, cement type and quantity, w/c-ratio, concrete strength class, the distribution of the use of the concrete in different parts of the building structure (walls, facades, slabs, columns, hollow core slabs, pavement, pipes etc.) and eventual coatings. This information is not readily available so the tables are to some extent based on estimates.

The main source of information was the ERMCO database on the statics on ready mixed concte, and information supplied by participants in the project from each country in question, based on local statistics from producers and associations. Nonetheless, part of the information needed in the project was difficult to obtain or not available at all. This regards both ready mix and precast concrete. In case of no data available, estimates based on personal judgement had to be done. Occasionally, information from one country was used as basis for estimation of analogous data in another country in lack of anything better.