The role of energy decisions on the water consumption of concrete infrastructure

Rapid urbanization and the need for additional infrastructure are resulting in a spike in associated materials demand. Of these infrastructure materials, concrete, the most common man-made material, is displaying the steepest... [ view full abstract ]

Rapid urbanization and the need for additional infrastructure are resulting in a spike in associated materials demand. Of these infrastructure materials, concrete, the most common man-made material, is displaying the steepest rise in demand. Concrete is composed of several constituents, most commonly including granular rocks (aggregates), water, and cement. The greenhouse gas emissions from the production of cement have gained global attention and hundreds of mitigation strategies have been proposed. Less studied is the consumption of water in the production of concrete, both during acquisition and processing of materials as well as water use associated with energy required. This water use poses a significant concern as demand for concrete rises. Furthermore, the mitigation strategies proposed for greenhouse gas emissions do not necessarily facilitate the reduction in water consumption and, in some cases, could result in increased water consumption. In this presentation, the contribution of water to each of the production stages of concrete will be discussed. Results show energy requirements for the production of concrete result in approximately half of total water consumed. As such, the role of energy related mitigation strategies for reducing both water consumption as well as greenhouse gas emissions will be presented. This analysis of mitigation strategies shows that energy decisions including fuel selection in the production of cement and electricity sources are critical in mitigating water consumption during the production of concrete.