Carbon capture and sequestration with in-situ CO2 and steam integrated 3D concrete printing

Abstract

Profound reliance of the building and construction sector on cement exacerbates its immense carbon footprint, accounting for a substantial portion of worldwide emissions. In this paper, we investigate the possibilities of in-situ carbon capture and sequestration to eliminate spatial constraints from a chamber confined curing solution via CO₂ and steam integrated 3D concrete printing. The presented technology involves a two-step extrusion-based system that sequesters captured CO₂ directly into concrete prior deposition at the nozzle printhead, so as to achieve artificially accelerated carbonation reactions with enhancement of mechanical properties. Accordingly, samples subjected to in-situ CO₂ and steam integration showed increases of up to 50.0 % 3D printability, 36.8 % compressive strength, and 45.3 % flexural strength compared to control at its respective curing conditions. The results of said approach demonstrated 38.2 % increase in bulk carbon uptake compared to accelerated carbonation confined curing methods, offering an alternative pathway towards decarbonized construction with 3DCP.