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Natural carbonation of aged alkali-activated slag concretes

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Abstract

Alkali-activated slag concretes stored for 7 years under atmospheric conditions are assessed, and the structural characteristics of naturally carbonated regions are determined. Concretes formulated with a 400 kg/m3 and water/binder (w/b) ratio between 0.42 and 0.48 present similar natural carbonation depths, although these concretes report different permeabilities after 28 days of curing. The inclusion of increased contents of binder leads to a substantial reduction of the CO2 penetration in these concretes, so that negligible carbonation depth values (2 mm) are identified in concretes formulated with 500 kg/m3 of binder. Calcite, vaterite, and natron are identified as the main carbonation products formed in these concretes. These observations differ from the trends which would be expected in comparable ordinary Portland cement-based concretes, which is attributable to the physical (permeability) and chemical properties of alkali-activated slag concretes promoting high long-term stability and acceptably slow carbonation progress under natural atmospheric conditions.

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Acknowledgments

This study was sponsored by the Australian Research Council (ARC) through a linkage grant between University of Melbourne and Zeobond Pty, including partial funding through the Particulate Fluids Processing Centre, a Special Research Centre of the ARC. The participation of R. Mejía de Gutiérrez was funded by Universidad del Valle (Colombia) and the GEOCERAM Project. The authors would like to express their gratitude to William Valencia and Jherson Díaz (Univalle) for carbonation depth data collection, and Brant Walkley (UniMelb) for his assistance in the difficult task of obtaining the carbonated paste from the hardened concretes for the XRD analysis.

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  1. Susan A. Bernal

    Present address: Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Sheffield, Sir Robert Hadfield Building, Mappin Street, Sheffield, S1 3JD, UK

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, 3010, Australia

    Susan A. Bernal, Rackel San Nicolas & John L. Provis

  2. Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Sheffield, Sir Robert Hadfield Building, Mappin Street, Sheffield, S1 3JD, UK

    John L. Provis

  3. Composite Materials Group, School of Materials Engineering, Universidad del Valle, Cali, Colombia

    Susan A. Bernal & Ruby Mejía de Gutiérrez

  4. Zeobond Pty Ltd., P.O. Box 210, Somerton, VIC, 3062, Australia

    Jannie S. J. van Deventer

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  1. Susan A. Bernal
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  4. Ruby Mejía de Gutiérrez
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  5. Jannie S. J. van Deventer
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Correspondence to Susan A. Bernal.

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Bernal, S.A., San Nicolas, R., Provis, J.L. et al. Natural carbonation of aged alkali-activated slag concretes. Mater Struct 47, 693–707 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1617/s11527-013-0089-2

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