Infilled cementitious composites (ICC) - A comparative life cycle assessment with UHPC

In this study, a comparative life cycle assessment (LCA) approach was adopted to scrutinize the environmental impacts of infilled cementitious composites (ICC) and ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC). UHPC, being prevalent for decades, encounters obstacles in application due to its high binder content, high heat generation, high material cost, and absence of coarse aggregate and macro steel fibers. To break these bottlenecks, ICC is developed based on fiber-particle packing theory, paste volume control and UHPC technology. To facilitate wider applications of ICC, LCA is performed on five categories, i.e., global warming (GWP), ozone depletion (OD), acidification (AP), eutrophication (EP), and photochemical ozone creation (POCP), according to International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 14040 and the Ecoinvent database. The ecological impacts of ICC can be further mitigated using supplementary cementitious materials and filler. A heuristic design of ICC is proposed towards reduced environmental impacts.

Automated summary

In this study, a comparative life cycle assessment (LCA) approach was used to analyze the environmental impacts of infilled cementitious composites (ICC) and ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC). ICC, developed based on fiber-particle packing theory, paste volume control, and UHPC technology, can help reduce the environmental impacts. The ecological impacts of ICC can be further mitigated by using supplementary cementitious materials and filler.