TY - JOUR
T1 - Usage of alternative cementitious binders containing naturally occurring radioactive by-products: The industry's perspective
AU - Love, Nazanin
AU - Geysmans, Robbe
AU - Perko, Tanja
AU - Schroeyers, Wouter
AU - Malina, Robert
AU - Leroi-Werelds, Sara
N1 - Score=10
Funding Information:
This work was supported by the Horizon 2020 Euratom research and training programme under grant [agreement No 900009 ].
Publisher Copyright:
© 2023 Elsevier Ltd
PY - 2023/2/10
Y1 - 2023/2/10
N2 - In 2021, global cement production was responsible for around 7% of anthropogenic greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Alternative cementitious binders from secondary raw materials that replace traditional cement can reduce the need for the use of virgin raw materials and can thereby reduce GHGs associated with cement. Some of these secondary materials include industrial by-products categorised as NORM (Naturally Occurring Radioactive Material). While prior research has investigated the technical aspects of using NORM-contained by-products in cementitious binders, to date, no attention has been given to non-technical aspects such as perceived risks and concerns of the main stakeholders. This study brings novel insights into these overlooked aspects through a series of semi-structured interviews with concrete industry representatives in Belgium. Through a thematic analysis of the data, we found six themes that represent industry's concerns regarding the usage of NORM-contained cementitious binders: (1) availability of the by-products, (2) financial factors, (3) quality and performance, (4) common sustainability parameters, (5) customer demand, and (6) acceptance of NORM-contained by-products. Regulatory certainty was found to be a key driver in all six themes. With regard to the expected role of governments, we can synthesise three core expectations highlighted by interviewees: a) Policymakers need to revisit the current regulations regarding the performance and quality to facilitate innovation in the concrete industry such as the use of alternative cementitious binders. b) They should implement EU-level regulations that can provide a level playing field for the industry during their transition to net-zero targets, including import regulations and certification for the usage of NORM-contained by-products. c) As an important public buyer, the government should expedite the transition to alternative binders through their procurement policies for governmental buildings and infrastructure projects.
AB - In 2021, global cement production was responsible for around 7% of anthropogenic greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Alternative cementitious binders from secondary raw materials that replace traditional cement can reduce the need for the use of virgin raw materials and can thereby reduce GHGs associated with cement. Some of these secondary materials include industrial by-products categorised as NORM (Naturally Occurring Radioactive Material). While prior research has investigated the technical aspects of using NORM-contained by-products in cementitious binders, to date, no attention has been given to non-technical aspects such as perceived risks and concerns of the main stakeholders. This study brings novel insights into these overlooked aspects through a series of semi-structured interviews with concrete industry representatives in Belgium. Through a thematic analysis of the data, we found six themes that represent industry's concerns regarding the usage of NORM-contained cementitious binders: (1) availability of the by-products, (2) financial factors, (3) quality and performance, (4) common sustainability parameters, (5) customer demand, and (6) acceptance of NORM-contained by-products. Regulatory certainty was found to be a key driver in all six themes. With regard to the expected role of governments, we can synthesise three core expectations highlighted by interviewees: a) Policymakers need to revisit the current regulations regarding the performance and quality to facilitate innovation in the concrete industry such as the use of alternative cementitious binders. b) They should implement EU-level regulations that can provide a level playing field for the industry during their transition to net-zero targets, including import regulations and certification for the usage of NORM-contained by-products. c) As an important public buyer, the government should expedite the transition to alternative binders through their procurement policies for governmental buildings and infrastructure projects.
KW - CO2
KW - Circular economy
KW - Cementitious binders
KW - Concrete
KW - Cement
KW - Naturally occurring radioactive material
KW - CO
UR - https://ecm.sckcen.be/OTCS/llisapi.dll?func=ll&objaction=overview&objid=53074772
U2 - 10.1016/j.jclepro.2023.135903
DO - 10.1016/j.jclepro.2023.135903
M3 - Article
SN - 1879-1786
VL - 387
JO - Journal of Cleaner Production
JF - Journal of Cleaner Production
M1 - 135903
ER -