In this article the author identifies what he sees as essential elements that are crucial to lay the foundation upon which the structure of an environmentally-friendly concrete technology can be built. The three essential elements of the foundation are: conservation of concrete making materials enhancement of durability of concrete structures and a paradigm shift from a reductionistic to a holistic approach in concrete technology research and education. Mehta argues that sustainable development for the cement and concrete industries can be reached if we make an effort to use the cementitious and pozzolanic byproducts produced by power plants and mettallurgical industries. Further concrete mixtures containing slag or fly ash are less prone to cracking and have increased structural durability through prolonged watertightness through service life.

Technical Report Author: P. K. Mehta