Evaluation of the Carbon Dioxide Uptake of Slag-Blended Concrete Structures, Considering the Effect of Carbonation

Abstract

During the production of concrete, cement, water, aggregate, and chemical and mineral admixtures will be used, and a large amount of carbon dioxide will be emitted. Conversely, during the decades of service life of reinforced concrete structures, carbon dioxide in the environment can ingress into concrete and chemically react with carbonatable constitutes of hardened concrete, such as calcium hydroxide and calcium silicate hydrate. This chemical reaction process is known as carbonation. Carbon dioxide will be absorbed into concrete due to carbonation. This article presents a numerical procedure to quantitatively evaluate carbon dioxide emissions and the absorption of ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBFS) blended concrete structures. Based on building scales and drawings, the total volume and surface area of concrete are calculated. The carbon dioxide emission is calculated using the total volume of concrete and unit carbon dioxide emission of materials. Next, using a slag blended cement hydration model and a carbonation model, the carbonation depth is determined. The absorbed carbon dioxide is evaluated using the carbonation depth of concrete, the surface area of concrete structures, and the amount of carbonatable materials. The calculation results show that for the studied structure with slag blended concrete, for each unit of CO 2 produced, 4.61% of carbon dioxide will be absorbed during its 50 years of service life.

Mechanical Properties and Thermal Conductivity of Aerogel-Incorporated Alkali-Activated Slag Mortars

“…For this purpose, blast furnace slag which can be characterized as a waste-type binder can be replaced by the clinker in the binder matrix by means of its features including high sulfate resistance, high ultimate strengths, and low CO 2 release in particular [3].…”

Optimization of the Mixture Design of Low‐CO2 High‐Strength Concrete Containing Silica Fume

“…e total CO 2 emissions of silica fumeblended concrete include CO 2 emissions from the concrete materials and transport and from the mixing of the concrete [15]. e total CO 2 emissions can be calculated from the following equation [15]:…”

Improvement in Carbonation Resistance of Portland Cement Mortar Incorporating γ-Dicalcium Silicate

“…us, the corrosion of steel bars is induced [1][2][3][4]. In order to extend the service life of reinforced concrete buildings which can be damaged by carbonation, several factors must be considered during the design stage, such as structural aspects, material selection, concrete mix design, proper compaction, and correct curing [5].…”