Mineral Carbonation of Construction and Demolition Waste for Sustainable Construction
A Review
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.64059/eiu.v3i1.98Keywords:
Construction and demolition waste, Accelerated carbonation, Recycled concrete aggregates, CO₂ sequestration, Alkalinity-durability trade-offAbstract
Construction and demolition waste (CDW) represents one of the largest global waste streams, while the cement industry contributes approximately 8% of anthropogenic CO₂ emissions. Mineral carbonation of CDW offers a dual-purpose solution, whereby the precipitation of CaCO₃ densifies the aggregate microstructure while permanently sequestering CO₂. This review synthesises peer-reviewed publications, addressing CDW characterisation, carbonation chemistry, accelerated carbonation methods, aggregate property improvements, concrete performance, CO₂ uptake quantification, and environmental assessment. Key findings indicate that accelerated carbonation can reduce recycled concrete aggregate water absorption by up to ~35% under optimised pressurised treatment, increase density by 1.5–5.0%, and improve 28-day compressive strength of recycled aggregate concrete by 7–33%, while sequestering approximately 27 to over 490 kg CO₂ per tonne of cement paste depending on CDW fraction, source quality, and treatment conditions. Carbonated recycled aggregate concrete achieves 27% lower global warming potential than natural-aggregate concrete in strength-standardised comparison. However, the alkalinity-durability trade-off, improved transport resistance alongside reduced pore-solution pH from ~12.5 to below 9, remains the most significant unresolved concern for reinforced applications. Critical research gaps include heterogeneous real-world CDW streams, long-term durability, industrial-scale process data, and harmonised measurement protocols. RILEM TC 309-MCP provides a foundational framework, and a phased research roadmap spanning short-, medium-, and long-term horizons is proposed to guide deployment.
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