Solutions For Low Embodied Carbon Concrete

Given its strength, durability and versatility, concrete is by far the most widely used building material in buildings, roads, tunnels, bridges and more. However, this predominant use of concrete does have a downside, due to one of its key components, cement.

Cement—The Primary Source of Embodied Carbon, Portland Cement accounts for 7 to 15 percent of concrete’s volume but is responsible for as much as 95 percent of the carbon emissions. Therefore, the opportunity to reduce cement content is key to reducing embodied carbon (CO2).

Master X-Seed - Patented strength-enhancing admixture that is capable of reducing embodied carbon in concrete mixtures by 5 to 20 percent while maintaining the strength requirements to produce high quality, environmentally-preferable concrete for a sustainable solution. It is the only stand-alone admixture capable of enhancing concrete strength while lowering cement content. When utilizing Master X-Seed admixture in combination with other Master Builders Solutions admixture technologies, embodied carbon in a concrete mixture can be reduced by as much as 30 to 50%, without sacrificing strength and durability requirements.

Green Sense Concrete - A highly optimized concrete mixture design in which recycled cementitious and non-cementitious materials are combined with specially formulated Master Builders Solutions admixtures. This concept has been used on some of the world’s most iconic structures, such as, One World Trade in New York City and the Shard in London. This high-performance sustainable concrete (HPSC) has demonstrated performance of over 70% replacement of cement and over 70% reduction in embodied CO2 in comparison to industry-standard concrete recipes. Additionally, the Green Sense® methodology allows for lower energy demands, lower water demands, and other reductions in environmental impacts.