Environmental assessment of cement production with added graphene

Abstract

Cement production significantly contributes to climate change, necessitating alternatives to mitigate the environmental impacts of this essential construction material. This study evaluates 18 environmental impacts of producing Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC) and Graphene (Gr) using life cycle assessment (LCA). Additionally, we explore whether mixing OPC and Gr can lower the life cycle environmental impacts of the final product (OPC_Gr). Our results show that OPC production in the United Kingdom generates 775 kg CO₂ eq./t, 57% only from geogenic CO₂ emissions. Gr production via electrochemical exfoliation in Australia results in 121,000–143,000 kg CO₂ eq./t, primarily due to electricity generation. Using hydro and nuclear power (e.g., in Brazil and France) can sharply reduce these impacts (global warming potential in the range of 11,000–35,000 kg CO₂ eq./t). Adding 0.02 wt% of Gr in powder form (Gr_powder) from Australia to the OPC and assuming a 16.5% reduction in its usage due to increased strength, results in 674 kg CO₂ eq./t OPC_Gr (a 13% reduction). However, some impact categories like marine eutrophication and freshwater ecotoxicity potentials increase sharply (>28%). Using Gr_powder from Brazil and France further reduces the OPC_Gr global warming potential and the overall environmental footprint.