RYC Peer-to-Peer webinar: Carbonation of Concrete: Opportunities for Net Zero CO2 by 2050 and Research Needs

The first Peer-to-Peer webinar of 2023 will take place on Tuesday January 31st, 2023 at 6PM Sydney Time  and will be one hour long (2*20 minutes presentations + 10-minute interaction). The registration for this webinar is free.

Theme of the Peer-to-Peer Webinar: Carbonation of Concrete: Opportunities for Net Zero CO2 by 2050 and Research Needs

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Speaker 1: Dr Jiayi Fu, Materials Scientist, Boral Innovation

Title: Exploring the accelerated carbonation potential of recycled concrete aggregates as a long-term CO2 storage solution

Concrete recarbonation and storage is one method to help the cement industry to minimise residue cement production emissions. The calcium-rich compounds in concrete structures will naturally absorb CO2 from the atmosphere and slowly form calcium carbonate over their life span to permanently store away the CO2. Recarbonation technology accelerates this natural process, quickly increasing the amount of CO2 stored in construction and demolition waste, most notably recycled concrete aggregates. Whilst carbonation of concrete is a well-known phenomenon, optimised conditions for accelerated recarbonation of recycled concrete aggregates to maximise CO2 uptake require further research. This study investigates the potential for local building and demolition waste materials to be recarbonated and used as a source for long-term CO2 storage.

Speaker 2:  Indira Vasikova, PhD student, University of Technology Sydney

Title:  Durability of Low-Carbon Concrete against Carbonation-Induced Corrosion: Literature Review and Research Needs

Low-carbon concrete is now getting more attention due to new goals of achieving net zero emissions by 2050. The most carbon-intensive material in concrete is cement and therefore replacing it partially by supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs) can significantly decrease the embodied carbon of concrete. In terms of durability, addition of SCMs improves properties against chloride and sulphate attack, however, it can negatively impact the durability against carbonation-induced corrosion. This talk presents the challenges in adding SCMs to concrete and highlights the opportunities to utilize SCMs to decrease the embodied carbon of concrete without significant deterioration of the durability and main mechanical properties.

This webinar is brought to you by the RILEM Youth Council (RYC) and hosted by Dr Marie Joshua Tapas, RYC Pacific Representative.