New Environmentally-Friendly Cement Type
The 2009 edition of the CSA A23.1 Concrete Materials and Methods of Concrete Construction Standard will reference a new class of cement called "Portland-limestone cement" (PLC). While PLC has been used in Europe for over 25 years, it is new to Canada. Last year it was included in the new CSA A3000-08 Cementitious Materials Compendium Standards. PLC cement will be referenced in the upcoming 2010 National Building Code of Canada and will be legislated for use in the Canadian construction industry as soon as provincial building authorities either reference the new edition of the cement and concrete standards, or adopt the 2010 NBCC.
Portland-limestone cement reduces greenhouse gas emission associated with existing cement manufacturing by approximately 10%, while producing concrete with similar strength and durability characteristics to that achieved with existing GU cements. The industry will move to have PLC recognized in the LEED building rating system as reducing the clinker content of the cement in concrete and in so doing qualify for LEED credits. In its initial offering, PLC cements will not be permitted in sulphate exposure environments until further testing in combination with supplementary cementing materials (SCMs) verifies conclusively its performance under these conditions.
For more information, view following files.
Portland-limestone Cement General Overview (40-minute presentation) 1.47 Mb
Portland-limestone Cement Overview Notes (40-minute presentation) 46.94 Kb
Portland-limestone Cement Brief Overview (20-minute presentation) 808.73 Kb
Portland-limestone Cement Brief Overview Notes (20-minute presentation) 37.19 Kb
Backgrounder on Portland-limestone Cement