The Roadmap To Carbon Neutrality

Most people have a minimal understanding of concrete and its profound role as the foundation of our society. Indeed, concrete is one of the most complex and adaptable building materials and the most widely used built environment component.

Few people have the depth of knowledge about the fundamental chemistry of concrete and its potential as a factor in reducing the carbon footprint of the built environment as Rick Bohan, Vice President, Sustainability for the Portland Cement Association.

Rick believes improving cement can significantly lower energy consumption and result in a lighter, more durable, and longer-lasting building material.

This is the basis of the Roadmap to Carbon Neutrality recently published by the Portland Cement Association. The Roadmap highlights the entire value chain, from clinker to cement, cement to concrete, concrete to construction, construction to carbonation, and circling back from carbonation back to clinker.

Breakthrough technologies have enabled optimization in each construction phase, from design to scheduling, materials handling, construction, lifetime use, and end-of-life demolition and reuse.

Rick’s presentation on the Roadmap to Carbon Neutrality is part of six webinars produced by the Pacific Northwest Building Resilience Coalition entitled Pathways to Resilience and Carbon Neutrality.

In his presentation, he first addresses carbon capture at the cement plant and provides an overview of some of the technologies used and the advantages and disadvantages. He then some of the technologies across the entire value chain to get to net-zero.

Many things that can be done are not happening, notes Rick, partly due to institutional inertia, regulatory disincentives, and many other issues. That is why the Roadmap is so essential; he notes that it provides practical guidance on the measures that can be done to reach carbon neutrality by 2050.

Concrete has become an enormous carbon sink, he notes, pointing out that about 10% of CO2 generated from the manufacture, transportation, and use of cement and concrete is reabsorbed throughout the life of a concrete structure.

Rick’s presentation is one of six webinars organized in 2021 by the Pacific Northwest Building Resilience Coalition in partnership with the Pacific Northwest Economic Region.

You can watch this inspiring webinar here. More information on this webinar series is available here.