Special Issue Information

The Portland cement industry has a significant carbon footprint, with an estimated 5% to 8% of all global anthropogenic CO2 attributed to its manufacture. The industry has recognized the significant climate impact and recently developed a roadmap to carbon neutrality by 2050. However, this roadmap still presents significant technological, economic, and policy hurdles to achieve the neutrality goal by 2050.

Portland cement production is anticipated to grow by upwards of 20% or more by 2050. Since the industry need for Portland cement is unlikely to diminish, it is evident that engineers and scientists still need to reduce the carbon footprint of cement-based materials through alternative options that may still use Portland cement. The recent progress for these alternative options has included nontraditional aggregates, alternative or supplementary cementitious binders, mineral fillers, and novel mixing or construction techniques. However, these alternative options still present challenges, since the materials behavior does not necessarily align with conventional cement-based and concrete materials, calling for significant materials characterization and performance testing.

In response to these challenges, this Special Issue (SI) aims to provide a collection of articles on sustainable cement-based materials. Special attention will be devoted to carbon-efficient sustainable materials that are produced or sourced locally, that contain recycled and industrial waste/by- product materials, and that have lower impact on the environment.  Upon completion, we hope this SI will present a compilation of state-of-the-art research from international scholars that will address materials- and design-related challenges impacting the development and implementation of sustainable cement-based materials. 

This SI invites papers on, but not limited to, the following topics:
• Sustainable materials
• Recycled and secondary materials
• Industrial waste and by-product materials
• Alternative cementitious binders
• Alkali-activated materials and geopolymers
• Supplementary cementitious materials
• Limestone calcined clay cement
• Green and environmentally friendly materials
• Contaminants of emerging technologies
• Life cycle analysis
• Decarbonization of the cement and concrete industries
• Structural materials
• Advancements in structural systems
• Special structures
• Structural performance under Hazardous loadings
• Computational mechanics / Numerical simulation
• Design advancement
• Corrosion science & Durability issues
• Structural health monitoring
• Strengthening / Retrofitting techniques
• AI and Machine Learning in structural applications
• Smart sensors

The SI will also include Full-length papers to be presented at the 3rd International Conference on Cementitious Materials and Sustainable Construction (ICCMS2025) (https://theconcreteconference.com/)

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