Accelerated carbonation of calcium-based waste materials for development of sustainable construction binders

Authors

  • Martin Nguyen Research Institute for Building Materials, Binders systems Department, Hněvkovského 65, 617 00 Brno, Czech Republic
  • Theodor Staněk Research Institute for Building Materials, Binders systems Department, Hněvkovského 65, 617 00 Brno, Czech Republic
  • Michaela Krejčí Kotlánová Research Institute for Building Materials, Binders systems Department, Hněvkovského 65, 617 00 Brno, Czech Republic
  • Dana Kubátová Research Institute for Building Materials, Binders systems Department, Hněvkovského 65, 617 00 Brno, Czech Republic
  • Martin Boháč Research Institute for Building Materials, Binders systems Department, Hněvkovského 65, 617 00 Brno, Czech Republic

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.14311/AP.2026.66.0298

Keywords:

accelerated carbonation, waste materials, carbon dioxide, circular economy, new generation binders

Abstract

The construction industry faces significant environmental and economic challenges associated with reducing CO2 emissions in the upcoming years, and utilising waste efficiently as part of a circular economy. This paper focuses on utilising local waste and industrial by-products to develop carbonatable binders using a simple, cost-effective, and scalable carbonation method involving a CO2 chamber. Flue-gas desulphurisation waste (FGDW) and waste calcium hydrate (WCH) were used as raw materials. The emphasis was placed on optimising the carbonation duration (2 and 7 days at 20 % CO2 concentration, temperature of 30 °C, 70 % relative humidity, and atmospheric pressure), as well as the mixture composition and their impact on the resulting physical and mechanical properties. Compressive strength, phase composition, water absorption, apparent porosity, bulk density and CO2 uptake were determined post-carbonation. The optimal 3:1 FGDW:WCH mixture reached 44MPa and sequestered 159 kg CO2 t−1 after 2 days of carbonation, while the 1:1 mixture reached 60 MPa and sequestered 176 kg CO2 t−1 after 7 days. The higher WCH content and a longer carbonation time enhanced calcite formation and reduced porosity. The results of this research contribute to the advancement of sustainable materials and offer practical solutions to the current challenges for a sustainable future in the construction industry.

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References

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Published

2026-07-10

Issue

Vol. 66 No. 3 (2026)

Section

Articles

License

Copyright (c) 2026 Martin Nguyen, Theodor Staněk, Michaela Krejčí Kotlánová, Dana Kubátová, Martin Boháč

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

How to Cite

Nguyen, M., Staněk, T., Krejčí Kotlánová, M., Kubátová, D., & Boháč, M. (2026). Accelerated carbonation of calcium-based waste materials for development of sustainable construction binders. Acta Polytechnica, 66(3), 298-309. https://doi.org/10.14311/AP.2026.66.0298