Sustainable materials for 3D concrete printing

Bhattacherjee, Shantanu; Basavaraj, Anusha S.; Rahul, A.V.; Santhanam, Manu; Gettu, Ravindra; Panda, Biranchi; Schlangen, Erik; Chen, Yu; Çopuroğlu, Oğuzhan; Ma, Guowei; Li, Wang; Beigh, Mirza Abdul Basit; Mechtcherine, Viktor

doi:10.1016/j.cemconcomp.2021.104156

Cited by 148 publications

(47 citation statements)

References 159 publications

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“…The mix of 3D printed concrete needs to be optimized to reduce the environmental impact. Besides, some sustainable materials such as recycled materials [27,85,86] and other materials [87][88][89][90] makes 3D printed concrete a huge potential for reducing carbon emissions. Secondly, as mentioned above, current structural systems do not perfectly match 3D concrete printing technology.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

3D printed concrete components and structures: an overview

Xiao,

Liu,

Ding

et al. 2021

Sustain. Struct.

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This paper aims to present an overview and explore components or structures suitable for 3D printed concrete. Most traditional structural forms are not well suitable for 3D printed concrete. To be more specific, it cannot fully consider the characteristics and advantages of 3D printing such as individualization and digitalization. Several 3D-printing-specific structure forms (including hollow form, tree form, arch form, and structure-functional form) are classified and the relevant successful cases are demonstrated. Moreover, the application potential of 3D printed concrete structures is illustrated and the limitations as well as the solutions for the application of 3D printed concrete in practical projects are also summarized. Based on the classification of different reinforcement materials, several reinforcement methods are intensively discussed for 3D printed concrete including steel bars, fibers and other reinforcement materials. The comparison of economic and environmental benefits between 3D concrete printing technology and traditional construction method is discussed respectively. Finally, the expected evolution of 3D printed structures is put forward and recommended.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

3D printed concrete components and structures: an overview

Xiao,

Liu,

Ding

et al. 2021

Sustain. Struct.

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“…As discussed in Section 4 , 3DPCC requires a large quantity of cement, SCM, and a combination of different admixtures [ 13 , 17 ]. Mixtures are usually designed in the scale of mortar with limited aggregate fraction and particle size generally inferior to 2 mm [ 93 , 94 ]. Characteristics of 3D printing equipment and the dimensions of the nozzles are the main factors conditioning the particle size of 3DPCC [ 13 ].…”

Section: Powder Constituent Materials: Characterization and Effectmentioning

confidence: 99%

3D Construction Printing Standing for Sustainability and Circularity: Material-Level Opportunities

Fonseca¹,

Matos

2023

Materials

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Three-dimensional Cementitious materials Printing (3DCP) is a cutting-edge technology for the construction industry. Three-dimensional printed buildings have shown that a well-developed automated technology can foster valuable benefits, such as a freeform architectural design without formworks and reduced human intervention. However, scalability, commercialization and sustainability of the 3DPC technology remain critical issues. The current work presents the ecological fragility, challenges and opportunities inherent in decreasing the 3DCP environmental footprint at a material level (cementitious materials and aggregates). The very demanding performance of printable mixtures, namely in a fresh state, requires high dosages of cement and supplementary cementitious materials (SCM). Besides the heavy carbon footprint of cement production, the standard SCM availability might be an issue, especially in the longer term. One exciting option to decrease the embodied CO2 of 3DCP is, for example, to incorporate alternative and locally available SCM as partial cement replacements. Those alternative SCM can be wastes or by-products from industries or agriculture, with no added value. Moreover, the partial replacement of natural aggregate can also bring advantages for natural resource preservation. This work has highlighted the enormous potential of 3DCP to contribute to reducing the dependence on Portland cement and to manage the current colossal wastes and by-products with no added value, shifting to a Circular Economy. Though LCA analysis, mixture design revealed a critical parameter in the environmental impact of 3DCP elements or buildings. Even though cement significantly affects the LCA of 3DCP, it is crucial to achieving adequate fresh properties and rheology. From the literature survey, mixtures formulated with alternative SCM (wastes or by-products) are still restricted to rice husk ash, Municipal Solid Waste ashes and recycled powder from construction and demolition wastes. Natural aggregate replacement research has been focused on recycled fine sand, mine tailing, copper tailing, iron tailing, ornamental stone waste, recycled glass, crumb rubber, rubber powder and granules, recycled PET bottles and steel slag. However, flowability loss and mechanical strength decrease are still critical. Research efforts are needed to find low-carbon cement replacements and mix-design optimization, leading to a more sustainable and circular 3DCP while ensuring the final product performance.

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“…-Low-carbon concrete: Sustainable low-clinker cement alternatives (Bhattacherjee et al 2021) that reduce the environmental impact of the 3DCP material are strategic. Current studies are already focusing on this area ranging from limestonecalcinated clay-based cementitious mixes (Chen 2021) to the recycling of concrete as aggregates (Bai 2021).…”

Section: Strategies For Enhancing the Environmental Sustainability Of 3dcpmentioning

confidence: 99%

Lightweight 3D Printed Concrete Beams Show an Environmental Promise: A Cradle-to-Grave Comparative Life Cycle Assessment

Gislason

Bruhn

Breseghello

et al. 2022

Preprint

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Despite the increasing interest in 3D Concrete Printing (3DCP) in construction, limited research has quantitatively investigated the environmental impact that 3DCP brings. The existing Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) studies in the field can be criticized for a lack of clearly defined functional units of comparison, especially considering load-bearing structures. This paper investigates the potential environmental benefits of 3DCP over conventional concrete construction in a case study of structural beams based on a cradle-to-grave comparative LCA. Unlike in the existing LCA studies on 3DCP, this paper employs a carbonation model to account for the potential carbon offsetting from the use-stage of 3DP concrete, which showed to be significant for the results. The assessment includes three-beam designs, each analyzed for both prefabrication and on-site construction scenarios. While 3DCP generally has a higher environmental impact due to the larger quantity of cement employed in the process, the reduction of materials through shape and infill optimization results as valid design principles to reduce emissions. Results show that, while standard designed 3DCP beams perform worse than their equivalent cast beams, lightweight designs for printed beams are promising in terms of reducing the environmental impacts from construction. The paper draws recommendations for future research on material development, e.g. integration of larger aggregates and low-clinker cement, and carbonation-efficient 3DCP design of load-bearing structures, e.g. considering the environmental benefits of carbonation in the design optimization process.

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Sustainable materials for 3D concrete printing

Cited by 148 publications

References 159 publications

3D printed concrete components and structures: an overview

3D printed concrete components and structures: an overview

3D Construction Printing Standing for Sustainability and Circularity: Material-Level Opportunities

Lightweight 3D Printed Concrete Beams Show an Environmental Promise: A Cradle-to-Grave Comparative Life Cycle Assessment

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