Low-Carbon Construction Materials and Structures for Circularity: CO₂ Quantification and Reduction

Submit your abstract here by 31 August 2026

Introduction

The construction sector accounts for a substantial share of global energy use, greenhouse-gas emissions and raw material consumption, while generating large volumes of construction and demolition waste. At the same time, the decarbonisation potential of cementitious materials, through circular resource use and CO₂ uptake remains underutilised. Moving from a linear model to a low-carbon, circular economy therefore requires not only new materials and structural concepts, but also transparent and comparable quantification of CO₂ reduction.

This Special Issue, “Low-Carbon Construction Materials and Structures for Circularity: CO₂ Quantification and Reduction,” invites original research and review articles that deliver measurable, reproducible CO₂ reduction outcomes supported by clearly stated baselines, system boundaries and inventory assumptions. Submissions are welcomed on low-carbon cementitious binders and composites, recycled concrete and aggregates, CO₂ mineralisation/curing routes, and circular structural systems, provided the work links quantified carbon outcomes with material/structural performance and durability. Studies may include experiments, modelling and multi-physics simulations, uncertainty and sensitivity analysis, LCA/LCC and circularity indicators, and pilot or full-scale case studies in buildings and infrastructure.

List of topic areas

• Low-carbon binders and concretes with quantified CO₂ reduction, including low-clinker cements, blended binders, alkali-activated materials and geopolymers (structural applications)
• Recycled concrete and recycled aggregate systems (full- and multi-recycling) with embodied-carbon baselines and quantified CO₂ reduction
• CO₂ mineralisation/curing and verified CO₂ uptake in cementitious materials, recycled aggregates and recycled fines/powders, and its contribution to net CO₂ reduction
• Inventory data, emission factors and measurement protocols for CO₂ quantification (materials production, transport, curing/mineralisation, end-of-life scenarios)
• Linking performance and durability to CO₂ outcomes: microstructure–transport–durability relationships, service-life effects, maintenance/repair and replacement in carbon calculations
• LCA/LCC and circularity indicators for materials and structures at component, building and infrastructure scales, including uncertainty and sensitivity analysis
• Structural performance and design methods under embodied-carbon constraints: performance-based design, optimisation and reliability with quantified CO₂ reduction targets
• Design for deconstruction, reuse and multiple life cycles enabling closed-loop construction and accounting for end-of-life CO₂ uptake where relevant
• CO₂ quantification methods for materials and structures: functional units, system boundaries, baselines, allocation and temporal effects
• Verification and reproducibility of quantified CO₂ reduction: measurement–model integration, data quality, reporting templates and uncertainty propagation

Submission Information

Submit your abstract here

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