Semi-dry carbonation of recycled concrete paste.

Demolished concrete is a large carbon sink which has not been utilized yet. Carbonation of hydrated cement paste from old concrete can effectively store CO 2 , and in addition, the resulting carbonated cement paste can be used as a pozzolanic material in new composite cements. This concept reduces the CO 2 footprint of cement and promotes circularity and recycling. This work investigates a semi-dry gas-solid process for the carbonation of recycled cement paste. Decreasing gas humidity and hence the content of water adsorbed on the solid cement grains limits the transport of reactants from the dissolving hydrates and the overall reaction kinetics. It also leads to co-precipitation of the carbonation products, i.e., calcium carbonate and the alumina-silica gel, into a single dense matrix within the original grains. A decreasing water availability increases also the complexity and heterogeneity of the microstructure formed, since calcium carbonate precipitates as different polymorphs, including an amorphous form, and because the final phase assemblage comprises intermediate phases such as decalcified C-(A)-S-H, remains of the original hydrates in addition to the final carbonation products. • Carbonation of hydrated cement paste from old concrete can effectively store CO 2. • This work investigates a semi-dry gas-solid process for the carbonation of recycled cement paste. • Decreasing gas humidity and hence the content of water adsorbed on the cement paste grains limits the reaction kinetics. • Carbonation in water results in a separation of calcium carbonate and the alumina-silica gel. • The carbonation at semi-dry conditions results in co-precipitation of the carbonation products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]