Purdue University and Solidia Technologies have conducted tests to demonstrate that concrete cured with carbon dioxide (CO2) performs comparably or better than traditional Portland Cement-based concrete. The tests covered performance related to cold weather resistance and exposure to extreme conditions.
Purdue University Professor of Civil Engineering Jan Olek commented: "On multiple indicators, our findings underscore comparable or favourable performance of the calcium silicate-based carbonated concrete under severe conditions."
Tests of the CO2-cured concrete show the product has good freeze-thaw resistance and scaling resistance in comparison with the traditional form.
The CO2-curing technology reduces water consumption in the production of concrete up to 80%, carbon emissions up to 70%, and the curing time to one day.
Guy Thompson, The Concrete Centre – MPA, UK, explains how the ongoing commitment of the concrete industry to sustainability can help designers and specifiers achieve sustainable solutions.
Global carbon dioxide emissions from burning fossil fuels and cement production reached 36 billion t in 2013 and are set to climb to 40 billion t this year
Nick DeCristofaro and Sada Sahu of Solidia Technologies®, USA, discuss carbon dioxide curing in low-carbon Solidia cement in the second part of this abridged article from the World Cement January 2014 issue.