Abstract
It is often cited that the construction and operation of buildings over their lifetime is responsible for up to 40% of global carbon emissions. Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC) is the single largest source of carbon emissions on the planet at 7–8% globally and is primarily used in the building and construction industry (Schneider and Tschudin in Cem Concr Res, 2011). The fundamental question is this: ‘how can the carbon footprint of cementitious binders in the building and construction sector be substantially reduced?’ One solution is to use an alternative binder to OPC that substantially reduces the carbon intensity of building and construction materials. Such a material is generally known as geopolymer concrete (GPC) which, in contrast to the manufacture of OPC, requires no heat energy during its manufacture. Utilizing geopolymer cement as a replacement for Portland cement reduced the CO2 emissions by 10 to 70% depending on mix design and supply chain. GPC can be manufactured from waste materials primarily from mine tailings and other industrial processes thereby reducing its carbon footprint. In Western Australia, the government first identified over 800 tailings storage facilities (TSFs) and later 7000. This study has focused on 1200 TSFs (MINDEX 2021 in Department of Mines, Industry regulations and safety, Western Australia.). Many of these TSFs have minerals that can be used to make geopolymer concrete (GPC). The use of GPC in built environments with feedstock from TSF can reduce carbon emissions and contribute to a more sustainable housing sector.