Ground granulated blast-furnace slag
Low Carbon Concrete Routemap, Setting the agenda for a path to net zero, draft for consultation published by the Institution of Civil Engineers in 2021, defines ground granulated blast-furnace slag (GGBS) as: ‘An SCM (Secondary Cementitious Materials) whose main use is in concrete as a Portland cement replacement to help reduce permeability and improve durability. It is a by-product from the blast-furnaces used to make iron.’
The use of GGBS reduces the amount of Portland cement used in concrete products thus potentially reducing the carbon emissions or embodied carbon associated with use of the product. However the draft research paper 'The efficient use of GGBS in reducing global emissions' written by experts from IStructE, the Institution of Civil Engineers, Climate Group and MPA The Concrete Centre, from 2023 questions the benefits for decarbonisation by revealing that global supplies of GGBS have reached their limit with no significant unused stockpiles or new sources likely to appear.
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