Carbon dioxide uptake by pure Portland and blended cement pastes

Abstract Carbon dioxide sequestration by cement-based materials is a chemical process known as carbonation. Carbon dioxide absorption by cement consists of its reaction with calcium hydroxide, among other Portland cement components. This phenomenon should be taken into account in the calculation of the net contribution of cement production to greenhouse gas emissions. Therefore, carbon dioxide uptake should be considered into future life-cycle assessment protocols. This paper presents the carbon dioxide absorption results recorded in paste specimens during almost four years by 15 different types of Portland composite cements made of siliceous coal fly ash, natural pozzolan, ground granulated blast-furnace slag and limestone. Prismatic (10 ​× ​10 ​× ​60 mm) Portland cement pastes made of several types of cement (5% and 35% by weight) and with two cement/water ratios (0.45 and 0.60) were manufactured. The specimens were cured at 95% relative humidity for 24+ ​48 ​h and afterwards they were kept under laboratory room conditions for 25 more days. After this period, a set of the specimens remained in the lab, whereas other were moved outdoors for being kept sheltered or exposed from rain. Thermogravimetric measurements were performed along the time to determine the carbon dioxide absorption by the Portland cement pastes. The results were fitted to an exponential function. The maximum carbon dioxide absorption and the absorption rate depends on the exposure conditions, the water/cement ratio, the cement type (calcium oxide contents, type and percentage of the additions in the cement paste and compressive strength) and portlandite formed at 28-days. The results of this paper show that the absorption amounts were 13% and 30% in weight. of ignited cement.