Research progress on the application of low-reactivity minerals in carbonation-cured cement-based materials

Cement is essential for the construction industry, but its production process generates a large amount of CO₂, adversely affecting the environment. To address the issue above, carbonation curing serving as one of the efficient carbon reduction approaches is widely adopted benefiting from its advantages of rapidly realizing carbon sequestration and enhancing the performance of cementitious materials. Numerous studies have indicated that the addition of low-reactivity minerals such as limestone, quartz, sandstone, and glass powder accelerates the carbonation reaction of cement composites. However, there is a lack of reviews on the application of low-activity minerals in carbonation-cured cementitious materials. Therefore, this paper presents a comprehensive review regarding the research progress on the application of low-reactivity minerals in carbonation-cured cement-based materials for the first time. This review first introduces the effect of low-activity minerals on the performance of carbonation-cured cement composites. Subsequently, the related mechanism is analyzed. Finally, the future research directions and challenges in this field are emphasized. This work provides insights and references for the application of low-reactivity minerals in carbonation-cured cement-based materials, thus contributing to carbon emission reduction in the cement industry.