Equivalent performance with half the clinker content using

Abstract In response to growing pressures to reduce the clinker content in cement, the Canadian Standards Association (CSA A3001-08) introduced a new classification of cement in 2008, this being Portland Limestone Cement (PLC) containing up to 15% limestone. This paper presents data from laboratory and field studies on the properties of concrete produced with portland limestone cement (PLC) and moderate to high levels of supplementary cementing materials (SCM). The test data indicate that PLC with up to 15% limestone can be manufactured to produce equivalent performance to a portland cement (PC) in terms of concrete strength and other properties, including durability. The equivalent performance is achieved by optimizing the PLC with regards to composition and particle-size distribution, and requires intergrinding rather than blending of the portland cement and limestone. The performance of concrete produced with PLC in combination with a wide range of SCM is also equivalent to that of concrete produced with PC and the same SCM. Full-scale field trials have been conducted with concretes with blends of PLC and SCM and these concretes provide similar or improved performance compared to PC concrete; in one case the clinker content represented less than 50% of the total cementitious material. A clinker reduction of 50% represents a very significant reduction in the carbon footprint associated with the production of portland cement clinker