Economic and environmental impact analysis of cellulose nanofiber-reinforced concrete mixture production

Abstract

Incorporating cellulose nanofibers into concrete has a positive impact on its strength. This study evaluated how cellulose nanofiber-reinforced concrete affected the economic and environmental performance compared to conventional concrete. The estimated minimum selling price per unit mass (m³) per unit compressive strength (MPa) of cellulose nanofiber-reinforced concrete mixture is 12 % lower ($2.52/m³/MPa) compared to the minimum selling price of conventional concrete mixture ($2.87/m³/MPa). However, when comparing the minimum selling price on a mass basis, the cellulose nanofiber-reinforced concrete mixture showed a 3.33 % higher minimum selling price ($150/m³) than the conventional concrete mixture ($145/m³). Similarly, the estimated global warming impact of cellulose nanofiber-reinforced concrete mixture was higher by 0.59 % when evaluated on a mass basis (509.88 kg CO² eq/m³) but 14.5 % lower when evaluated on per m³ per unit compressive strength basis (8.57 kg CO2 eq/m³/MPa), compared to conventional concrete mixture (506.88 kg CO² eq/m³ or 10.02 kg CO² eq/m³/MPa).

Citation

Rajendran, Naveenkumar; Runge, Troy; Bergman, Richard D.; Nepal, Prakash; Nair, Nithya; Ashraf, Warda. 2025. Economic and environmental impact analysis of cellulose nanofiber-reinforced concrete mixture production. Resources, Conservation and Recycling. 212: 107917. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resconrec.2024.107917.