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Global warming

Enhancing Cement Industry's Carbon Footprint through Supplementary Cementitious Materials

Strategic Insights

— 1 min read

A new study published in Construction and Building Materials has found that enhancing the use of supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs) is an effective strategy for lowering the cement industry's carbon footprint. In South Korea, a strategic roadmap was established to increase the SCM content in ordinary Portland cement (OPC) from 10% to 15% to reduce carbon emissions. The study, conducted by researchers from Kongju National University, investigated the effects of increasing SCM content in OPC on various parameters, including fluidity, setting time, heat of hydration, and compressive strength.

Key Takeaways:

  • The study found that increasing SCM content in OPC from 10% to 15% did not significantly change the initial hydration characteristics but resulted in a decrease in compressive strength due to clinker dilution.
  • The reduction in compressive strength can be mitigated by increasing the proportion of highly reactive SCMs and optimizing their fineness through physical treatments.
  • Expanding SCM content to 15% has the potential to reduce carbon emissions from cement production by approximately 5.3%.
  • Increasing SCM content to 20% is expected to contribute to around 20% of the national carbon reduction target of South Korea by 2050.
  • The study provides experimental evidence that increased SCMs utilization can accelerate the decarbonization of the cement industry while facilitating the production of more environmentally friendly cement compared to conventional OPC.
  • The research identified the importance of using commercially accepted SCMs and implementing fineness optimization to bridge engineering feasibility with policy-driven carbon neutrality objectives.
  • The study found that the Korean cement industry can achieve significant carbon reduction by increasing SCM content in OPC.

Statistics:

  • The South Korean government's strategic roadmap aims to increase SCM content in OPC from 10% to 15%.
  • The study found a 5.3% reduction in carbon emissions from cement production if SCM content is increased to 15%.
  • It is expected that SCM content increased to 20% will contribute to around 20% of the national carbon reduction target of South Korea by 2050.
  • The study analyzed fluidity, setting time, heat of hydration, and compressive strength of OPC with varying SCM content.

Sources:

  • "Carbon Neutrality In the Korean Cement Industry: Reducing Carbon Emissions By Increasing Supplementary Cementitious Material Content In Ordinary Portland Cement." Construction and Building Materials, 2025; 494.
  • NewsRx. "Study Data from Kongju National University Provide New Insights into Building and Construction (Carbon Neutrality In the Korean Cement Industry: Reducing Carbon Emissions By Increasing Supplementary Cementitious Material Content In Ordinary ...)." Global Warming Focus, October 13, 2025; p 406.

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