Service Life Prediction and Life Cycle Assessment of Pozzolanic Concretes

Due to the increase in urbanization and the rapid growth of the construction industry around the world, cement has become one of the most widely used construction materials. It has been widely reported that the production and consumption of Portland cement is one of the main factors of global warming and greenhouse gas emissions. Recent studies have shown that cement production is responsible for 12-15% of total energy consumption in industry and approximately 5% of carbon dioxide emissions from human activity. The Portland Cement Association showed that the production of one ton of cement produces 0.9 tons of carbon dioxide gas. Reducing the harmful effects of rapid consumption of cement, which has an adverse effect on global warming, is an alarming concern.In a study conducted by Pakmezgi et al (2004), the effects of pozzolan on the properties of concrete with different types and volumes of pozzolan were investigated. In this study, the effect of a natural pozzolan on concrete properties was investigated. For this purpose, concrete mix was produced in three series with control mixes with cement content of 300, 350 and 400kg. These control mixes were modified to have a combination of 250, 300 and 350 kg of cement and 40, 50, 75 and 100kg of pozzolan for 1 cubic meter of concrete. Pozzolan efficiency was obtained by using Bloomy and Fert resistance equations on 28-day concretes. The maximum amount of pozzolan with optimal efficiency was determined. This study shows that the efficiency obtained from each resistance equation is similar and these values decrease with increasing pozzolan-cement ratio.