CEMENT

Work is being completed to reinvent CEMENT: Carbonation-Enabled Mineralization to Engender Novel Technology

Cement is a vital material for construction that has seen rapid increase in demand as new infrastructure is produced for the growing population.  The processes for creating ordinary Portland cement (OPC) outputs 7% of global CO2 emissions, creating a need for lower emission production methods.  By curing synthesized silicate cement with pressurized CO2 in aqueous solutions, we can gro crystalline calcium silicate hydrate (CCSH) phases.  These CCSH phase cements have a negative carbon footprint and produce stronger, less permeable mortar when compared with OPC.  This project will explore the formation and optimization of CCSHs via cement carbonation to design greener methods of cement production.

Figure 1: CCSH phases growing in between sand grains froma mortar sample made from silicate cement