Role of supplementary cementing materials in reducing greenhouse gas emissions

The World Earth Summits in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 1992 and in Kyoto, Japan in 1997 have in no uncertain terms, emphasized the dangers associated with the unchecked increase in CO2 and other greenhouse gas emissions to the atmosphere, and their undesirable effects on climate change. As a result, most industrialized countries are in the process of formulating regulations to stabilize these emissions to 1990 level by the year 2010. This paper describes the amount of CO2 being contributed by the portland cement industry, and discusses how these emissions an be reduced considerably by the increased use of large volumes of fly ash and other supplementary cementing materials in concrete industry.