Concrete: An eco material that needs to be improved

Concrete is the largest volume material used by man and is irreplaceable for innumerable large infrastructure developments. From the point of view of natural resources, ecology and economy, it is virtually impossible to imagine substituting concrete by any other material. However, because of the large volumes used, its total energy and CO2 footprint is important. This material therefore needs to be improved and small steps can have a big impact, once again because of the large volumes involved. This review paper examines some of the routes that may be followed to further improve the environmental performance of concrete. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.