Concrete has played a pivotal role in shaping the modern world’s infrastructure and the built environment. Its unparalleled versatility, durability, and structural integrity have made it indispensable in the construction industry. From skyscrapers to long-span bridges, water reservoirs, dams, and highways, the ubiquitous presence of concrete in modern society underscores its significance in global development. As we stand at the crossroads of environmental awareness and the imperative to advance our societies, the sustainability of concrete production and utilization is becoming a new engineering paradigm. The immense demand for concrete, driven by urbanization and infrastructure development, has prompted a critical examination of its environmental impact. One of the most pressing concerns is the substantial carbon footprint associated with traditional concrete production. The production of cement, a key ingredient in concrete, is a notably energy-intensive process that releases a significant amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) into the atmosphere. As concrete remains unparalleled in its ability to provide structural functionality, disaster resilience, and containment of hazardous materials, the demand for concrete production is increasing, while at the same time, the industry is facing the urgency to mitigate its ecological consequences. This special publication investigates the multi-faceted realm of concrete sustainability, exploring the interplay between its engineering properties, environmental implications, and novel solutions, striving to provide an innovative and holistic perspective. In recent years, the concrete industry has witnessed a surge of innovation and research aimed at revolutionizing its sustainability. An array of cutting-edge technologies and methodologies has emerged, each offering promise in mitigating the environmental footprint of concrete. Notably, the integration of supplementary cementitious materials, such as calcined clays and other industrial byproducts, has gained traction to reduce cement content while enhancing concrete performance. Mix design optimization, coupled with advanced admixtures, further elevates the potential for creating durable, strong, and eco-friendly concrete mixtures. Concrete practitioners will gain an advanced understanding of a wide variety of strategies that are readily implementable and oftentimes associated with economic savings and durability enhancement from reading these manuscripts. The incorporation of recycled materials, such as crushed concrete and reclaimed aggregates, not only reduces waste but also lessens the demand for virgin resources. Furthermore, the adoption of efficient production techniques, along with the exploration of carbon capture and utilization technologies, presents an optimistic path forward for the industry. This special publication aspires to contribute to the ongoing discourse on concrete sustainability, offering insights, perspectives, and actionable pathways toward a more environmentally conscious future.

In the late 1980s, an innovative hydration-stabilizing admixture was introduced to help concrete producers effectively extend the working time of fresh concrete mixtures for challenging applications, particularly, in hot weather or long time-to-discharge applications. The hydration-stabilizing admixture also provided concrete producers with a means of managing returned concrete to address environmental issues associated with concrete waste. In recent years, admixtures that allow concrete producers to convert returned concrete into a very low-strength granular material that can be used for construction backfill, road base, or in other applications have been introduced. Together with the hydration-stabilizing admixture, concrete producers can now use chemical admixtures to significantly reduce concrete waste. In this paper, the operational and sustainability benefits of the hydration-stabilizing admixture and a new one-component engineered polymer admixture that facilitates the beneficial reuse of returned fresh concrete are presented and discussed.

In May 1978, the Canada Centre for Mineral and Energy Technology (CANMET), in association with the American Concrete Institute (ACI) sponsored a 3-day conference in Ottawa, ON, Canada, on the use of superplasticizers in concrete. Selected papers from the conference were published as ACI SP-62. In 1981, CANMET, again in association with ACI, sponsored a second 3-day international conference in Ottawa on the use of the superplasticizers in concrete. Proceedings of the conference were published as ACI SP-68. The purpose of the third international conference in Ottawa in 1989 was to review the progress made since the meetings in 1978 and 1981, and to bring together representatives of the chemical admixtures, cement, and concrete industries to exchange information and delineate new areas of needed research. The scope of this conference was expanded to include chemical admixtures other than superplasticizers. Proceedings of the conference were published as ACI SP-119. In October 1994, CANMET in association with ACI and several other organizations sponsored the fourth conference in Montreal, QC, Canada. The objective of this conference was to bring attention to new developments in chemical admixture since the last conference in 1989. The proceedings of the conference were published as ACI SP-148. In October 1997, the Committee for the Organization of CANMET/ACI International Conference, (ACI Council), in association with ACI and several cement and concrete organizations in Italy, sponsored the fifth conference in Rome, Italy. The conference was aimed at transferring technology in the fast-moving field of chemical admixtures. The proceedings of the conference were published as ACI SP-173. In October 2000, Committee for the Organization of CANMET/ACI International Conferences, (ACI Council), in association with several organizations in Canada and France, sponsored the sixth conference in Nice, France. More than 50 papers from more than 20 countries were received and reviewed by an ACI review panel, and 37 were accepted for publication in the proceedings of the conference. The proceedings were published as ACI SP-195. In October 2003, the Committee for the Organization of CANMET/ACI International Conferences (ACI Council) in association with several organizations in Canada and Germany, sponsored the seventh conference in Berlin, Germany. The conference attracted more than 275 delegates and proceedings of the conference consisting of 39 papers, were published as ACI SP-217. In October 2006, the Committee for the Organization of CANMET/ACI International Conferences, (ACI Council), sponsored the eighth conference in Sorrento, Italy. More than 60 papers from more than 25 countries were received, and peer reviewed by the CANMET/ACI review panel in Budapest, and 36 were accepted for publication as ACI SP-239. In October 2009, the Committee for the Organization of International Conferences (COIC) (formerly CANMET/ACI International Conferences) sponsored the ninth ACI International Conference in Seville, Spain. More than 50 papers from more than 20 countries were received and peer reviewed, and 35 were accepted for publication in the proceedings of the conference. The proceedings were published as ACI SP-262. In October 2012, COIC sponsored the Tenth International Conference on Superplasticizers and Other Chemical Admixtures in Concrete in Prague, Czech Republic. More than 70 papers from all over the world were peer reviewed, and 33 were accepted for publication in the proceedings of the conference. The proceedings were published as ACI SP-288. In July, 2015, the COIC in association with ACI sponsored the Eleventh International Conference on Superplasticizers and Other Chemical Admixtures in concrete in Ottawa, ON, Canada. More than 60 papers from the world over were peer reviewed, and 28 were accepted for publication in the proceedings of the conference. Also, additional papers were presented at the conference that were published in the Supplementary Papers Volume. In October 2018, the Chinese Ceramic Society and the China Academy of Building Research (CABR), Beijing China, in association with ACI, sponsored the Twelfth International Conference on Superplasticizers and other Chemical Admixtures in Concrete in Beijing China. More than 80 papers from all over the world were received and peer reviewed. A total of 36 refereed papers were accepted for publication in the proceedings of the conference. The proceedings were published by as ACI SP-329. The proceedings were published as ACI SP-302. Also, 54 additional papers were presented at the conference, and were published in the Supplementary Papers Volume. In July, 2022, after a postponement for the COVID-19 pandemic, the ACI Italy Chapter and the University of Bergamo, Italy, sponsored the Thirteenth International Conference on Superplasticizers and Other Chemical Admixtures in Concrete in Milan, Italy. The proceedings of the conference consisting of 35 refereed papers were published by ACI as SP-354. In addition to the refereed papers, about 20 other papers were presented at the conference, and were published in a supplementary papers volume. The main topics of the papers presented at the conference are related to superplasticizers, accelerating admixtures, retarding admixtures, air-entraining agents, shrinkage-reducing agents, superabsorbent polymers, and self-healing admixtures, and their influence on the properties of the concrete in fresh and hardened state. These properties include: workability, slump-loss, time of setting, heat of hydration, strength, durability, shrinkage, and creep of the concrete mixtures. Thanks are extended to the reviewers for the valuable efforts in reviewing all the manuscripts published in the conference proceedings and in the supplementary volume. The guidance from Dr. V. M. Malhotra and Prof. M. Collepardi, the Honorary Chairpersons of the conference, is sincerely appreciated. Also, acknowledged is the support of ACI International for the publication of the proceedings (ACI SP-354). The Editors Dr. Denny Coffetti Prof. Luigi Coppola Dr. Terence Holland

Polycarboxylate superplasticizers are increasingly being used in nuclear power plant construction including the dry shielding concrete containment, which directly surrounds the reactor pressure vessel. The problems of their thermal and radiation stability are brought to the fore. Tests were performed based on the simultaneous thermal analysis of admixtures based on HPEG-type polycarboxylate ethers. Scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermogravimetry (TG) measurements were employed in this study. Both measurements were performed on a Netzsch STA 429 CD Simultaneous Thermal Analysis Apparatus. For analysis of degradation products, Netzsch aQMS 403 C quadrupole mass-spectrometer was used that allows performing analysis (IC curves) of thermal degradation products within the range from 1 to 121 atom-charge units. The aluminum oxide tablets impregnated with superplasticizers were used. The comprehensive analysis of superplasticizers has proven their quite high thermal stability. During heating up to 250°С and thermal degradation of polycarboxylate ethers, there is no emission of explosive and toxic gases.

Polycarboxylates (PCEs) currently dominate the global superplasticizer market. Among them, HPEG and IPEG PCEs have attained a prominent position as they present the most cost-effective PCEs known at present. Recently, novel vinyl ether PCEs designated as EPEG and GPEG PCEs were introduced, thus broadening the family of VPEG PCEs, and their overall performance is still evaluated. Well documented are now the advantages of novel phosphated comb polymers which can significantly reduce the stickiness of concrete e.g. in UHPC. In spite of many attempts, so far no overall cost-effective clay tolerant superplasticizer has been identified, the challenge being that such a structure must include side chains that however do not contain polyethylene glycol/polypropylene glycol (PEG/PPG) or polyamines. Fortunately, for calcined clay blended cements, HPEG PCEs of specific molecular design as well as zwitterionic (amphoteric) PCEs have proven to be highly effective. Moreover, AAS binder systems were successfully fluidized with APEG or HPEG PCEs exhibiting particularly short side chains (nEO < 10). This review underlines the critical role that innovation in chemical admixtures will play in the future to facilitate a successful migration to low-carbon binders.