PFI-TT: Commercialization of Low-Carbon Concrete Blocks at Scale

该创新-技术转化伙伴关系（PFI-TT）项目的更广泛影响/商业潜力是开发一种新型水泥材料，该材料比普通波特兰水泥制成的传统材料具有更高的性能和更低的环境影响。水泥生产产生的二氧化碳（CO2）占全球总排放量的8%。因此，需要为这种重要的建筑材料找到替代化学物质，以减少气体排放。该项目有三个目标，第一个目标是确定如何在工厂而不是实验室工作台上大规模生产这些新配方。第二个目标是了解原料供应和制造能力如何能够满足商业化的市场需求。最后，第三个目标将使人们了解新材料的安全性。这些研究，可扩展性和实施问题将与工业合作伙伴合作回答，该合作伙伴是美国混凝土砌块的领先制造商之一。除了技术和商业化的好处，该项目还将培养学生成为领导者和企业家。拟议的项目旨在开发一种由低碳高性能混凝土砌块组成的最低可行产品。这些材料在化学成分上类似于古罗马水泥，但具有更高的碳吸收潜力。与企业合作伙伴的合作研究将使材料配方和固化工艺的可制造性得以改进。具体而言，该项目将研究使用混合水泥来提高CO2渗透性，使用碳酸氢钠盐从内部固化，并利用矿渣中微量金属添加剂的作用来提高材料的强度。将开发一个量化的可持续设计模型，并用于确定选择材料的重要参数，以减少碳排放。该项目的最终目标是制作一个混凝土砌块原型，其抗压强度为15 MPa，每个水泥砌块的碳吸收（净负）潜力为1千克CO2，成本低于5美元。目前的传统混凝土砌块的抗压强度为12 MPa，每个水泥砌块的碳排放量（净正）为5 kg CO2，价格约为2美元。预计在项目成功完成后，新材料将具有比现有材料更优越的上级性能，这将抵消现有材料的较低成本。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Partnerships for Innovation - Technology Translation (PFI-TT) project is to develop a novel cement material that has higher performance and lower environmental impact than conventional materials made from ordinary Portland cement. Cement manufacturing produces 8% of total global carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. Hence, there is a need to find alternative chemistries for this vital building material to reduce gas emissions. This project has three goals, the first one involves determining how to produce these novel formulations in large scale and in a factory instead of on laboratory benches. The second goal relates to the understanding of how feedstock availability and manufacturing capacity can meet market demands for commercialization. Finally, the third goal will allow the understanding of the safety of the new materials. These research, scalability and implementation questions will be answered in collaboration with an industrial partner, which is one of the leading makers of concrete block in the United States. In addition to the technical and commercialization benefits, this project will also train students to become leaders and entrepreneurs.The proposed project seeks to develop a minimum viable product consisting of a low-carbon high-performance concrete block. The materials will resemble ancient Roman cements in chemical composition but with a much higher carbon uptake potential. Collaborative research with a corporate partner will enable the refinement of material formulations and curing processes for manufacturability. Specifically, this project will examine the use of blended cements to improve CO2 permeability, use of sodium bicarbonate salts to cure from within, and harness the role of trace metals additives in the slag to enhance the strength of the material. A quantitative sustainable design model will be developed and used to identify important parameters for the selection of the materials to reduce carbon emissions. The ultimate goal of the project is to make a concrete block prototype with a compressive strength of 15 MPa and a carbon uptake (net negative) potential of 1 kg CO2 per cement block for under $5. The current conventional concrete block has a compressive strength of 12 MPa and carbon emissions (net positive) of 5 kg CO2 per cement block for around $2. It is expected, upon successful completion of the project, that the new material will have a superior performance compared to the currently available materials that will offset the lower cost of the current material.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.