VITO is a partner in various projects that are looking for sustainable substitutes for cement. The question is whether we can replace cement in concrete with other raw materials or waste that is otherwise used as a filler in raw materials for paving. For example, think of blast furnace slag and fly ash. But investigations are also underway to establish whether incineration ash is a worthy substitute in cement compositions, for example. At present, this incineration ash is still being used in dike construction in the Netherlands.
Turning waste into value
Every year, four billion tonnes of cement is used worldwide. However, the production of cement causes a high degree of pollution. If we can reduce the proportion of cement in production processes and replace it with waste that would otherwise be processed in an unsustainable way, we could kill two birds with one stone. We could reduce cement production and thus CO2 emissions, and give waste materials a sustainable future.
