Co2 Utilization in Cement and Concrete

Abstract

The cement and concrete industry accounts for nearly 10% of the world's anthropogenic CO2 emissions. As efforts to mitigate climate change intensify, CO2 utilization in cement and concrete has emerged as a promising solution. This chapter examines various CO2 utilization strategies, including carbonation curing and hardening, mineralization in supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs), production of carbonated artificial aggregates, and other emerging solutions. The discussion on carbonation curing and hardening encompasses its fundamental mechanisms, influencing factors, and practical applications. The potential of CO₂ utilization in making multi-phase SCMs using solid wastes – such as recycled concrete fines, steel slag, and coal combustion fly ash among other alkali aluminosilicate minerals – is surveyed with a focus on their reactivity and performance enhancements. Furthermore, the mechanical and physical properties of carbonated artificial aggregates are scrutinized, along with their influence on concrete performance. Other innovative CO2 utilization approaches, such as using water-dissolved or supercritical CO2 to enhance carbonation curing, utilizing carbonated water as a concrete mixing medium, injecting CO2 during mixing, and incorporating CO2-derived solid carbon or organic chemicals, are also briefly discussed. Despite the advantages of these CO2 utilization technologies, challenges remain in terms of feedstock variability, economic feasibility, and policy support. This review provides critical insights into the challenges and opportunities of CO2 utilization technologies in cement and concrete, aiming to stimulate mindset shifts and technology advancements in this field.

Department(s)

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering

International Standard Book Number (ISBN)

978-103282179-5;978-104041415-6

Document Type

Article - Journal

Document Version

Citation

File Type

text

Language(s)

English

Rights

© 2025 CRC Press, All rights reserved.

Publication Date

01 Jan 2025

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