Sustainability
Slag cement is a an environmentally “green” product because it is a recovered material from the iron production process which reduces the environmental impact of concrete products. It also enhances the performance of concrete making a more durable longer lasting concrete.
Replacing portland cement with slag cement in concrete can save up to 59% of the embodied carbon dioxide emissions and 42% of the embodied energy required to manufacture concrete and its constituent materials.
When slag cement is used in concrete applications to replace a portion of portland cement it reduces the use of virgin raw materials, saves on energy and reduces greenhouse gas emissions.
For every ton of portland cement replaced by slag cement, 100% of virgin material is saved. 86% of the energy and 98% of the carbon dioxide emissions are saved.
| Application | % Slag Cement | Life Cycle Inventory Savings | |||||
| Energy | Emissions | Materials | |||||
| MBTU/cu.yd. | % | Lbs/cu.yd. | % | Lbs/cu.yd. | % | ||
| 5,000 psi Ready Mixed Concrete | 35% | 0.39 | 23% | 173 | 31% | 296 | 7% |
| 50% | 0.56 | 34% | 248 | 45% | 425 | 10% | |
| Concrete Block | 35% | 0.24 | 20% | 107 | 29% | 183 | 4% |
| 50% | 0.34 | 29% | 154 | 42% | 263 | 6% | |
| Precast Concrete | 35% | 0.59 | 26% | 262 | 32% | 449 | 10% |
| 50% | 0.84 | 37% | 374 | 46% | 640 | 15% | |
| Concrete Paving | 35% | 0.40 | 24% | 178 | 31% | 366 | 9% |
| 50% | 0.58 | 35% | 255 | 45% | 519 | 12% | |
| Mass Concrete | 65% | 0.38 | 28% | 168 | 40% | 340 | 8% |
| 80% | 0.57 | 42% | 251 | 59% | 513 | 13% | |
Accounting for Skyway Slag Cement’s Environmental Sustainability
The contribution of Skyway slag cement to the environment footprint of a project can be quantified using resources provided by the Slag Cement Association:
- Skyway Slag Cement Environmental Product Declaration (EPD)
- SCA’s Life Cycle Assessment Calculator evaluates environmental impacts of specific mix designs against industry benchmarks.
- Slag Cement Environmental Product Declaration provides quantifiable data on the cradle-to-gate environmental impacts in the production of slag cement, in accordance with ISO 14025 and ISO 21930.
- LEED™ Guide: Using Slag Cement in Sustainable Construction provides detailed instructions for achieving LEED-NC points with slag cement (LEED-NC 2.1, 2.2 and 3.0).
A number of other resources are available for free download on SCA’s Sustainability page.
