The manufacturing of Portland cement results in significant quantities of Carbon Dioxide (CO2). Every ton of Portland cement produced creates almost 1 ton of CO2 released into the atmosphere.
Cement is made by heating limestone and other materials to a temperature of 2700 degrees (F). As a result, CO2 is produced by the burning of fossil fuels to generate heat and also by the chemical reaction of the limestone, converting Calcium Carbonate (CaCO3) to Calcium Oxide (CaO).
CaCO3 → CaO + CO2
Geofortis’ Natural Pozzolans directly replace Portland cement in concrete. Using Geofortis’ products allows concrete producers to meet specifications for green buildings and reduce impacts on climate change.
Geofortis' product-specific Type III Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) for its Utah natural pozzolan has a Global Warming Potential (GWP) rating of 87.4 kg CO2 e per metric ton. In comparison, the Portland Cement Association EPD dated 3/12/2021 calculates cement’s GWP at 922 kg CO2 e per metric ton. Replacing cement with Geofortis' pozzolan reduces GWP by 90%.
An ASTM approved Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) provides quantifiable environmental data to compare products that fulfill the same function. In order to create comparable EPDs, they must follow the rules and guidelines called for in the associated Product Category Rule defined in ISO 14025
