CARBONSEQ: Low-carbon, High-performance Concrete Using a Novel Method of CO2 Sequestration

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The cement industry contributes 7% of global anthropogenic CO2 emissions. Due to the boom in construction, the cement demand is going to increase significantly, leading to an increase in CO2 emissions. This goes against the Paris accord where many countries pledged to cut the emissions by 55% by 2030 from 1990 levels. As cement is the only material capable of meeting the construction demand at present, there is an urgent need to find ways of reducing its carbon footprint. CO2 sequestration in concrete is one of the promising techniques to capture CO2 as well as improve the mechanical and durability properties of concrete. However, CO2 sequestrated in concrete using existing approaches is limited to 1-2% by volume of concrete and can only be practised in special chambers. Therefore, the use and acceptance of this technology is limited. The proposed approach in this project aims to encapsulate 20-30% CO2 without the requirement of any special chamber, using a novel approach that will be designed and developed in this project. Further, the new encapsulation technique will be applicable to both ready-mix concrete and precast concrete. Detailed microstructural and minerological characteristics will be studied using SEM, MIP, XRD and X-ray tomography to achieve the enhanced rheological, dimensional, mechanical, and durability characteristics of concretes for various types of cementitious systems. To quantify the true environment impact of the novel method of CO2 sequestration, a framework will be designed by considering all the processes involved in the production of novel concrete. Then, environmental impacts will be quantified using the first-hand data obtained from all the processes involved, including the manufacture of readymix and precast concretes, which will establish that this novel approach is a step towards the low carbon agenda of the governments.