Cement and concrete are critical to the world economic system; the construction sector as a whole contributed US$3.3 trillion to the global economy in 2008 [1]. The fraction of this figure which is directly attributable to materials costs varies markedly from country to country - particularly between developing and developed countries. Worldwide production of cement in 2008 was around 2.9 billion tonnes [2], making it one of the highest-volume commodities produced worldwide. Concrete is thus the second-most used commodity in the world, behind only water [3]. It is noted that there are certainly applications for cement-like binders beyond concrete production, including tiling grouts, adhesives, sealants, waste immobilisation matrices, ceramics, and other related areas; these will be discussed in more detail in Chaps. 12 and 13, while the main focus of this chapter will be large-scale concrete production.
CITATION STYLE
Provis, J. L., Duxson, P., Kavalerova, E., Krivenko, P. V., Pan, Z., Puertas, F., & Van Deventer, J. S. J. (2014). Historical aspects and overview. RILEM State-of-the-Art Reports, 13, 11–57. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-7672-2_2
Mendeley helps you to discover research relevant for your work.