Durability and Mechanical Characteristics of Blast-Furnace Slag Based Activated Carbon-Capturing Concrete with Respect to Cement Content

Abstract

The recent abnormal temperature phenomena such as the rise of global mean temperature and sea level due to global climate change are clear threats that can no longer be overlooked to the human beings who have pursued indiscriminate development and rapid growth. Climate change has emerged as a serious risk that threatens the survival of the entire human race from the environmental and ecological aspects, despite international efforts for several decades. The CO2 concentration in the atmosphere has increased by approximately 39% since the industrial revolution. Even if carbon emissions are stopped right now, it is expected to take at least 50–200 years to return to the CO2 level before the industrial revolution. Therefore, we conducted an experimental study to develop a carbon-capturing concrete that has active as well as passive carbon reduction functions using blast-furnace slag, an industrial byproduct, instead of cement. For active carbon reduction, we used calcium hydroxide and sodium silicate as carbon capture activators, and conducted tests on mechanical properties and durability characteristics.