doi: 10.18178/ijcea.2025.16.1.838
Evaluating the Environmental Impact of Alkali-Activated Concrete: A Life Cycle Assessment of Blast Furnace and Ladle Slag Binders
Tariq G. Ahmed*
,
Sina R. Gomari ,
Kamal E. Gomari ,
David Hughes
- School of Computing, Engineering and Digital Technology, Teesside University, Middlesbrough, United Kingdom
- Manuscript receivedMarch 5, 2025
- acceptedApril 27, 2025
- publishedJune 13, 2025
Abstract
The production of Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC) significantly contributes to global CO₂ emissions. This study investigates substituting OPC with Blast-furnace Slag (BFS) and Ladle Slag (LS) in concrete through a comprehensive Life Cycle Analysis (LCA). Among five mixes tested, a LS blend achieved a 98% reduction in Global Warming Potential (from 431.6 to 8.2 kg CO₂ eq per m³) and showed notable carbon sequestration (81.4 kg CO₂ eq). However, the results also highlight that high alkali activator content can exacerbate other impacts, such as Terrestrial Ecotoxicity and Fine Particulate Matter Formation. These findings emphasize the need for balanced concrete formulations that minimize carbon emissions without compromising other environmental performance metrics.
Keywords
- alkali-activated materials
- Blast-Furnace Slag (BFS)
- environmental impact assessment
- Ladle slag (LS)
- Life Cycle Analysis (LCA)
- ordinary portland cement
- sustainable concrete
How to Cite
Tariq G. Ahmed, Sina R. Gomari, Kamal E. Gomari, and David Hughes, "Evaluating the Environmental Impact of Alkali-Activated Concrete: A Life Cycle Assessment of Blast Furnace and Ladle Slag Binders," International Journal of Chemical Engineering and Applications, vol. 16, no. 1, pp. 48-52, 2025. https://doi.org/10.18178/ijcea.2025.16.1.838
Copyright & License
Copyright © 2025 by the authors. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited (CC BY 4.0).
