I-Corps: Transforming Construction by Digital Fabrication of Concrete with Carbonate Cement

这个i-Corps项目的更广泛的影响/商业潜力寻求通过用碳酸盐为基础的、接近二氧化碳中性的水泥和混凝土替代品来重新发明水泥生产来推进混凝土施工技术。有人建议利用烟道气携带的二氧化碳作为一种“成分”，快速矿化数字化制造的建筑部件。重新发明的胶凝化学和工艺能够以比今天更快的速度生产高质量的建筑构件。它还能够整合各种技术，将碳酸盐基固结解决方案与数字制造技术相结合，以克服当今建筑业面临的挑战，包括其巨大的二氧化碳排放量，同时还有可能提高生产率。通过使工作流程合理化、增强自动化和创新新材料，该项目开发了颠覆性地改变建筑行业的创新途径。该i-Corps项目利用了使碳酸盐固体在常温下快速矿化的新进展。核心技术是基于将烟道气中的二氧化碳隔离在轻金属碳酸盐中的方法。这就产生了碳酸盐基胶结剂，其性能与传统水泥和混凝土相当或更好。最近的研究表明，碳化硬化过程很快。在合适的条件下，它在24小时或更短的时间内完成，比现有的固井溶液快得多。由于其组成简单且化学均一，碳酸盐水泥前驱体提供了灵活且可控的流变性，这是使用这些材料进行数字化制造的重要前提。总而言之，碳酸盐水泥提供了通向二氧化碳中性胶结和建筑的新途径。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this I-Corps project seeks to advance concrete construction technology by reinventing cement production with carbonate-based, near CO2-neutral cement and concrete surrogates. It is proposed to utilize flue-gas borne CO2 as an 'ingredient' to rapidly mineralize digitally fabricated construction components. The reinvented cementation chemistry and process enable producing high-quality building elements faster than it is possible today. It also enables the integration of a confluence of technologies, mating carbonate-based cementation solutions with digital fabrication technologies to overcome challenges facing the construction sector today, including its large CO2 footprint, while also potentially improving productivity. By rationalizing workflows, enhancing automation, and originating new materials, this project develops innovative pathways to disruptively transform the construction sector.This I-Corps project exploits new advances made the rapid ambient temperature mineralization of carbonate solids. The central technology is based on approaches for sequestering CO2 borne in flue gases in light metal carbonates. This renders carbonate-based cementation agents, which offer performance that is equivalent or superior to traditional cement and concrete. Recent studies have revealed that carbonation hardening process is rapid. Under suitable conditions it proceeds to completion in 24 hours or less, substantially faster than existing cementation solutions. Due to their simple composition and chemical homogeneity, the carbonate cement precursors offer flexible, and well-controllable rheology, an important prerequisite for enabling digital fabrication using these materials. Taken together, carbonate-cements offer new routes towards CO2-neutral cementation, and construction.