Carbon dioxide sequestration in cementitious materials: A review of techniques, material performance, and environmental impact

Abstract

The release of carbon dioxide (CO2) into the earth's atmosphere is a substantial global environmental concern that arises from the processes of industrialization and urbanization. The increase in atmospheric CO2 concentrations has resulted in the phenomenon of global warming and subsequent alterations in climate patterns. Accelerated CO2 sequestration in cementitious materials is currently the subject of extensive research as a highly efficacious approach to mitigating the carbon footprint of the concrete industry. The sequestration procedure entails the transformation of gaseous CO2 into carbonate minerals. The review presented in this paper outlines the most recent carbonation (i.e., CO2 sequestration) techniques, such as mineral carbonation, accelerated CO2 curing (ACC), pre-carbonation, and carbonation mixing, that have been recently explored. The potential of mineral carbonation of industrial wastes and the advantages of their incorporation in the concrete matrix is investigated. Carbonation technologies and their effect on the performance of cementitious composites are reported. Information on life cycle assessment are also included to evaluate the environmental impact associated with the production of carbonated materials. Various commercialized CO2 utilization technologies in construction sector, such as CarbonCure, Solidia, Carbstone, Calera, and Carbon8 are reviewed. Moreover, this review offers a thorough insight into the carbonation technologies, evaluating their advantages, limitations, and the existing gaps in research.

Keywords

• CO2 utilization
• Mineral carbonation
• Solid wastes
• Concrete
• Cement
• Carbon footprint