Carbon Capture Storage of 3D Printed Concrete (CCS - 3DCP)

The project concerns the uptake of atmospheric CO2 gas utilising Carbon Capture Storage (CCS) methods in concrete which has been 3D printed.

The construction industry contributes approximately 8 % of total CO2 emissions and 50 % of total industrial related CO2 emissions. Majority of CO2 emissions come from cement production due to the high temperatures required to create the cement material. Although, cementitious materials are being partially replaced by other materials, full replacement will dramatically reduce the incomparable properties of cement rich concrete.

Digitalisation is now established in manufacturing industries and in construction in 3D concrete printing (3DCP) and other digital fabrication techniques. 3DCP is large scale additive manufacturing process that allows greater freedom in the forms that can be manufactured.

Minimising material is one way of reducing the CO2 emissions embodied in material, but further gains could be made by utilising CCS methods for capturing CO2 through the life of the active component. For this approach to be effective in offsetting the embodied carbon over the life of the element, the carbonation process in the concrete material structure must allow easy diffusivity of CO2 to take place from the structure's surface slowly ingress to react with Ca(OH)2. This work investigates the feasibility of this approach and the impact on design and fabrication with 3DCP methods.