Work package 1:

Low carbon concrete for Arctic environment

Overview

Work Pachage 1 focuses on identifying, assessing and evaluating locally available raw materials in Nordic regions for the development of low-carbon concrete. The work adresses the growing shortage of convientional materials such as blast furnance slag and fly ash by exploring sustianable alternatives.

Objectives

• Identify locally available primary and secondary raw materials.
• Incorporation of local industrial by-streams as binding material (at least 30%) and aggregates (at least 50%).
• Evaluate material reactivity, composition and performance.
• Assess thier suitability for low-carbon binders in concrete.
• Enhance circular use of industrial by-products and waste materials.
• Focusing on increasing performance and durability in arctic weather conditions.

Scope 

WP1 investigates both primary (natural) and scondary (industrial by-product) resources including clay, limestone, volcanic pozzolans, indusrtial slags, mine tailings, and  construction waste. These materials are assessed for thier potential use in:

• Supplementary cementicious materials (SCMs).
• Alternative binders (alkali-activated materials)
• Aggregates in concrete.

Work Performed

WP1 combines literature review, resource mapping and experimental validation:

• Mapping of raw materials availability across Nordic regions.
• Characterization of materials based on chemical, mineralogical, and physical properties.
• Utilization of  conventional and non-conventional raw materilas in construction applications.
• Assessment of reactivity, fresh properties and hardened performance.

Key Results

• A comprehensive mapping of Nordic resources identified a wide range of primary (natural) and secondary 8industrial) raw materials with strong potential for low-carbon concrete.
• Materials were classified into hydraulic, pozzolanic, and low-reactive types depending on thier composition and reactivity.
• Experimental results show that reactive materials (e.g. slags, calcined clays, volcanic materials) significantly improve strength, microstructur and durability).
• The findings confirm strong opportunities for circular use of industry by-products, contributing to reduce Co2 emissions and more sustainable construction.

Work package 2

Durability testing procedure of low-carbon concrete

Overview

Work Package 2 focuses on improving the freeze-thaw durability assessment of low-carbon concrete with high SCM content, for which existing standard methods often show high variability and limited reliability.

The work combines a systematic review of over 350 studies with experimental testing of concrete mixtures, analysing the influence of curing conditions, temprature cycles and testing procedures. Advanced methods such as Taguchi design and Grey Relational Analysis are used to optimise testing parameters and identify key factors affecting durability.

In addition, WP2 includes the establishement of long-term durability monitioring station for low-carbon concrete at Narvik harbour, where concrete samples are exposed for long period of time. This provides essential data to validate accelerated laboratory tests and improves the understanding of real performance under exposure conditions, particularly in cold climates.

Objectives

• Analysis of existing testing methods for the durability of LCC.
• Identify limitations and inconsistencies in current standards.
• State-of-the-art analysis.
• Modifications of accelerated freeze-thaw testing methods.
• Experimental verification of the modified methods.
• Long-term durability testing.

Scope 

WP2 addresses the evaluation and improvement of freeze-thaw durability testing methods for low-carbon cocnrete. This includes the review and comparision of existing freeze-thaw standards, identification of key limitations, and development of modified testing procedures. The scop also covers experimental validation, optimisation parameters, and establishment of long-term monitoring for performance validation.

Work Performed

• Comprehensive review of durability testing methods and standards.
• Development of a systematic database of freeze-thaw studies.
• Experimental testing of concrete mixes with slag and volcanic materials.
• Application of taguchi experimental design, grey relational analysis (GRA) and ANOVA for identifying key parameters.
• Evaluation of scaling due to freeze-thaw cycles, influnce of curing, microstructure and strength development.

key Results

•  Exisitng freeze-thaw test methods show large variability especially for low-carbon concrete with high SCM content.
• Curing conditions were identified as one of the critical factors influencing durability performance, with extended curing improve freze-thaw damage.
• Experimental results highlight strong interactions between testing parameters, indicating that durability cannot be assessed using a single factor.
• Application of Taguchi design and Grey relational analysis (GRA) enabled efficient identification of critical parameters and optimisation and testing procedures.
• The establishment of long-term monitoring station provides valuable data for valodating accelerated test methods and improving prediction of real performance over time. 

Work package 3

Environmental analysis - Life cycle analysis

Overview

WP3 focuses on the environmental assessment and classification of low-carbon concrete (LCC) in Nordic countries. The work supports the reduction of CO2 emisssions from concrete by applying Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and Environmental Product Declaration (EPDs).

Objectives

• Life cycle analysis of newly developed LCC compared to concrete currently in use.
• Determining end-of-life criteria for these materials with respect to lifespan.
• Development of know-how affecting total life cycle costs and environmental impact.

Scope

WP3 addresses the assrssment of environmental performance of concrete mixtures using LCA and EPd tools. The study compares national approaches from Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Iceland where different guidlines, classification systems and EPD fools are used to evaluate environmental performance.

Work Performed

• Review of low-carbon concrete concepts and emission reduction strategies.
• Amalysis of EPD tools and LCA methodologies.
• Comparison of national classification system.
• Evaluation of concrete mixtures based on environmental impact.

Key Results

• All Nordic countries have established EPD-based tools and classification system for low-carbon concrete.
• Significant difference exist btween systems in strength class definitions, consideration of exposure conditions and calculation appraches.
• Low-carbon cocncrete mixes show reduced CO2 emisssios while meeting performance requirements.
• Comparative classification hoghlights the need for harmonisation across Nordic frameworks.