Cement, Energy and Environment

8 There are no readily available statistics in our country for the different applications of cement. A market survey carried out by CMA in the nineteen nineties showed that almost 40% of cement was used up in repair and maintenance. The situation might not have changed radically in the last few decades. Extrapolating on this premise, one may consider that a distinction for cement for application in reinforced and non-reinforced concrete is possible in India and this approach may open up larger and more confident use of blended cements and concrete with large contents of SCMs including fillers. This strategy is likely to open up a well- defined pathway towards low-carbon footprint in the industry. CONCLUDING REMARKS On a global perspective, it is presumed that the construction sector consumes about 40% of the world resources and 40% of energy. It is also responsible for about the same proportion of CO 2 emission. Cement, being an indispensable component in concrete construction, is obviously a major contributor to the high carbon footprint of the industry. The transition of the sector to low-carbon economy has to have a segmental approach starting from the manufacture of cement to building up a concrete structure. Certain measures have already been undertaken and certain others are yet to be initiated. The measures to be initiated include the following:  Large-scale use of alternative fuels and raw materials in cement manufacture,  production and application of low-C 3 S cements,  reduction of clinker factor much beyond the present level,  making of super-plasticized concrete with high- volume SCMs and low w/c-m ratio,  distinguishing the cement quality and marketing for reinforced and non-reinforced concrete,  introduction of multi-blend composite cements,  manufacture and use of cement and concrete fillers,  adopting the practice of durability design and maintenance of concrete structures for longer service life. The comprehensive blue prints of the above measures are still not in place. It should be borne in mind that sustainability and green chemistry, the two basic pillars of the low-carbon platform of concrete construction, need to be integrated with manufacturing and design in detailing the above measures. The low-carbon footprint can be achieved through innovations in the above integrated approach. ****** Fig. 13. Changing pattern of cement consumption in some of the European countries