Cement producers are reducing the clinker content in cement as one way of achieving their goals of carbon-neutral cement production. The use of chemical additives to the cement can support these efforts. By Paolo Forni and Emanuele Gotti, MAPEI Spa, Italy.

To achieve carbon neutrality goals by 2050, reducing the clinker content of cement offers an effective, fast-track pathway. In Europe the average clinker/cement ratio is  currently around 0.75, a level that will have to be reduced to an estimated 0.65 to significantly contribute to neutrality ambitions.