Effect of Pre-Curing Time and Residual Water–Cement Ratio on CO 2 Curing of Recycled Concrete

Qiyi Lai, Cheng Wang (), Yu Liu, Xuejin Ying, Zixin He, Jianjun Zhao and Xiao Zhao
Additional contact information
Qiyi Lai: State Key Laboratory of Geohazard Prevention and Geoenvironmen Protection, Chengdu University of Technology, Chengdu 610059, China
Cheng Wang: State Key Laboratory of Geohazard Prevention and Geoenvironmen Protection, Chengdu University of Technology, Chengdu 610059, China
Yu Liu: State Key Laboratory of Geohazard Prevention and Geoenvironmen Protection, Chengdu University of Technology, Chengdu 610059, China
Xuejin Ying: State Key Laboratory of Geohazard Prevention and Geoenvironmen Protection, Chengdu University of Technology, Chengdu 610059, China
Zixin He: State Key Laboratory of Geohazard Prevention and Geoenvironmen Protection, Chengdu University of Technology, Chengdu 610059, China
Jianjun Zhao: State Key Laboratory of Geohazard Prevention and Geoenvironmen Protection, Chengdu University of Technology, Chengdu 610059, China
Xiao Zhao: State Key Laboratory of Geohazard Prevention and Geoenvironmen Protection, Chengdu University of Technology, Chengdu 610059, China

Sustainability, 2025, vol. 17, issue 15, 1-20

Abstract: Using recycled concrete (RC) created from building debris to capture, utilize, and sequester CO 2 is a green and sustainable development strategy. Before CO 2 curing, pretreatment can provide a suitable environment for the carbonation reaction of the RC, accelerate the carbonation rate of the RC, and enhance its performance. The effects of the pre-curing time and residual water–cement ratio (Re) on the carbon sequestration rate, carbon sequestration, carbonation depth, and mechanical strength of RC were investigated and validated through X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The study demonstrated optimal carbon sequestration properties at a pre-curing time of 5 days. The corresponding carbon sequestration rate, unit carbon sequestration, carbonation depth, and compressive strength were 23.17%, 19.88 g/kg, 15.79 mm, and 28.7 MPa, respectively. Optimal carbon sequestration performance occurred at a Re of 0.26. The measured values were 20.15% (carbon sequestration rate), 17.38 g/kg (unit carbon sequestration), 12.55 mm (carbonation depth), and 31.1 MPa (compressive strength). According to the XRD and SEM results, the effects of pre-curing time and Re were mainly seen in the conversion rate of CaCO 3 and a denser microstructure. This implies that improving the CO 2 curing effect by controlling the pre-curing time and Re can both alleviate the pressure of greenhouse gas emissions and increase the utilization efficiency of RC.

Keywords: recycled concrete; CO 2 curing; pre-curing time; residual water-cement ratio (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/17/15/6769/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/17/15/6769/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:17:y:2025:i:15:p:6769-:d:1709767

Access Statistics for this article

Sustainability is currently edited by Ms. Alexandra Wu

More articles in Sustainability from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().