Supplementary cementitious materials: New sources, characterization, and performance insights

Conventional supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs), such as blast furnace slags or fly ashes, have been used for many decades, and a large body of knowledge has been collected regarding their compositional make-up and their impacts on cement hydration and concrete properties. This accumulated empirical experience can provide a solid, confident base to go beyond the status quo and develop a new generation of low-clinker cements composed of new types and combinations of SCMs. The need for new sources of SCMs has never been greater, as supplies of traditional SCMs are becoming restricted, and the demand for SCMs to reduce CO₂ emissions from concrete production is increasing. In this paper, recent research on emerging SCM sources is reviewed, along with new developments in characterizing and qualifying SCMs for use and improved knowledge of SCMs on long-term concrete performance and durability.