Concrete More Resource-Intensive than Previously Thought, UC Davis Researchers Find
We walk on it, drive on it, roll over it and build with it, but most people rarely consider the resources required to make concrete. A study in the journal Nature Sustainability shows that global concrete production requires far more resources than previously estimated.
The study, led by Professor Sabbie Miller and postdoctoral researcher Seth Kane in the UC Davis Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, found that 30 gigatons of mineral, energy and water resources are directly used to make concrete. When accounting for hidden flows and inefficiencies in the supply chain, that number approximately doubles. This suggests that “existing estimates drastically underestimate resource consumption of global concrete production,” the study said.
“There are substantial waste flows in the production of concrete — so great that they rival the quantity of product we get out,” Miller said. “We are in fact consuming about 66 gigatons of resources to get that concrete product.”
Understanding hidden waste streams is essential for reducing the environmental and resource burdens of concrete, which is produced mostly from local resources. Concrete is only second to water in global annual usage.
“As repair, urbanization and development continue to occur around the world, this degree of resource consumption could continue to grow if new pathways aren't determined,” she said.
