In-situ release and sequestration of CO2 in cement composites using LTA zeolites

Wenjie Luo, Bo Li, Mengxia Xu, Chengheng Pang, Edward Lester, Liujie Xu, Kien Woh Kow

Research output: Journal PublicationArticlepeer-review

5 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

This paper investigates the impact of in-situ release and sequestration of CO2 on the compressive strength, volume of permeable voids, phase change, hydration reaction, and micro-morphology of cement mortars. Two Linde Type A (LTA) zeolites with micro-pore dimensions of 5 Å and 4 Å (i.e., LTA 5A and 4A zeolites) were employed as CO2 carriers herein. The incorporation of 3–12 wt% plain LTA 5A and 4A zeolites increases the 1-day compressive strength of the mortars. However, the use of plain LTA 5A zeolite shows marginal contributions to the 7 and 28-day compressive strengths of the mortars, whilst using plain LTA 4A zeolite even deteriorates their 7 and 28-day compressive strengths. The micro-structural analyses reveal that the addition of LTA zeolites promotes the cement hydration and improves the mean chain length (MCL) of calcium aluminosilicate hydrates (C-A-S-H). Nevertheless, this introduces numerous weak points or even a porous structure to the cement matrix. In contrast, in-situ release of CO2 via LTA zeolites significantly enhances the compressive strengths of the mortars at various ages, as this can further facilitate the hydration evolution and improve the MCL of C-A-S-H. Moreover, in-situ release of CO2 brings an incremental content of calcium carbonates. The calcium carbonate contents in the specimens containing 12 wt% LTA 5A and 4A zeolites are increased by 5.3 wt% and 4.8 wt%, respectively. This leads to homogenous distributions of calcite with a grain size of 150–600 nm. Thus, LTA 5A zeolite outperforms LTA 4A zeolite with regard to CO2 uptake and the corresponding mechanical properties. This work presents in initial exploration into the application of porous pozzolanic materials in conjunction of CO2 in cement-based materials.

Original languageEnglish
Article number162133
JournalScience of the Total Environment
Volume872
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 10 May 2023

Keywords

  • Carbon dioxide
  • Carbon sequestration
  • Cement mortar
  • In-situ release
  • Supplementary cementitious material
  • Zeolite

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Environmental Engineering
  • Environmental Chemistry
  • Waste Management and Disposal
  • Pollution

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