A new, carbon-negative precipitated calcium carbonate admixture (PCC-A) for low carbon Portland cements

Abstract

The production of Portland cement accounts for approximately 7% of global anthropogenic CO 2 emissions. Carbon CAPture and CONversion (CAPCON) technology under development by the authors allows for new methods to be developed to offset these emissions. Carbon-negative Precipitated Calcium Carbonate (PCC), produced from CO 2 emissions, can be used as a means of offsetting the carbon footprint of cement production while potentially providing benefits to cement hydration, workability, durability and strength. In this paper, we present preliminary test results obtained for the mechanical and chemical properties of a new class of PCC blended Portland cements. These initial findings have shown that these cements behave differently from commonly used Portland cement and Portland limestone cement, which have been well documented to improve workability and the rate of hydration. The strength of blended Portland cements incorporating carbon-negative PCC Admixture (PCC-A) has been found to exceed that of the reference baseline-Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC). The reduction of the cement clinker factor, when using carbon-negative PCC-A, and the observed increase in compressive strength and the associated reduction in member size can reduce the carbon footprint of blended Portland cements by more than 25%.