Opportunities and Challenges for Next-Generation Cementitious Materials Under Rising Demand

The cement and concrete industry now has access to a wider variety of cementitious material options than at any point in its history, yet only a subset of these materials are deployed at scale. Current construction practices are evolving from traditional cements towards Portland limestone cements and blended systems such as Limestone Calcined Clays (LC3), alongside expanded use of established and emerging supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs) and alternative SCMs (ASCMs). Industrial by-products, including changing fly ash and slag streams, electric arc furnace slag, reclaimed ash, waste glass, mine tailings, and recycled concrete fines for enhanced carbonation are emerging as feedstock options to supplement demand for SCMs. This review provides a materials-centric synthesis of cementitious material options that could contribute to the U.S. cement and concrete supply through approximately 2035–2040. The materials are organized into two broad readiness classes: readily available materials and blended systems with existing feedstock streams and credible near-term adoption pathways, and emerging material concepts for which processing, logistics, or qualification frameworks are not yet sufficiently mature for industry-wide deployment. Readily available options include calcined clays, limestone calcined clay cement (LC3) systems, ground lightweight aggregate fines, and reclaimed ash, while emerging options include mine tailings, recycled concrete fines, electric arc furnace slag, waste glass pozzolans, carbonation-cured binders, and biocementation approaches. For each material family, the review evaluates availability, technical performance, and standards and adoption status, including feedstock volumes and geographic distribution, processing requirements, reported strength and durability performance, and compatibility with existing production and construction practices. Across both readiness classes, broader deployment will require robust reactivity and performance test methods, long-term durability and field-performance evidence, supply-chain readiness, and staged qualification and specification pathways. The review concludes by identifying practical priorities for researchers, standards bodies, and major buyers seeking to advance next-generation cementitious materials from laboratory evaluation and demonstration toward routine use.