TY - JOUR A1 - Schultz, C. A1 - Cunningham, Patrick A1 - Fan, J. A1 - Miller, S.A. T1 - Balancing the Mechanical Performance and Environmental Sustainability of Fiber-Reinforced Concrete N2 - Fiber-reinforced concrete (FRC) can have improved durability and tensile properties, potentially enabling the more efficient use of concrete and lowering greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Yet, systematic quantifications of the environmental impacts of FRC, particularly when paired with changes to mechanical properties and the implications for material longevity, are limited. Herein, an assessment following the life-cycle assessment methodology for four common FRCs was performed, namely, those reinforced with polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), steel (ST), polypropylene (PP), and polyethylene terephthalate (PET). The analysis was bound to a cradle-to-gate scope, and solely virgin fiber material production was considered for the environmental impacts. Coupled changes in compressive and tensile strength, environmental impacts, and the role of material longevity and cost relative to unreinforced concrete were examined. Findings from this work show that, similar to unreinforced concrete, cement remains a key source of GHG emissions in FRC production. However, in FRCs fibers can drive additional emissions by up to 55%. Notably, PVA and ST led to the highest impacts and costs, which were minimal for inclusions of PP and PET. Yet ST contributed to the greatest benefits in flexural and compressive strengths. When the effects of longevity were integrated, FRC with PP reinforcement could offer desired emissions reductions with minimal increase in use period and cost, but the other fiber reinforcements considered may need to offer longer service life extension to reduce emissions compared with conventional concrete. These results indicate that FRC can enhance mechanical performance, but fiber type selections should be informed by the design life to achieve actual GHG emissions reductions. KW - Fiber-reinforced concrete KW - Greenhouse gas emissions KW - Concrete KW - Cement KW - Durability PY - 2025 DO - https://doi.org/10.1061/JMCEE7.MTENG-19454 SN - 0899-1561 VL - 37 IS - 7 SP - 04025178-1 EP - 04025178-11 PB - American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) CY - Reston, VA AN - OPUS4-62987 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER -