Study on Preparation and Performance of CO2 Foamed Concrete for Heat Insulation and Carbon Storage

• Published in: Materials Vol. 16; no. 7; p. 2725
• Main Authors: Ta, Xupeng, Zhang, Yuan, Wan, Zhijun, Shi, Peng, Zhou, Jiale
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Basel MDPI AG 29.03.2023; MDPI
• Subjects: Carbon dioxide; Carbon sequestration; Carbonation; Cement; Coal; Coal-fired power plants; Compressive strength; Conductivity; Curing; Electricity; Fixation; Foaming; Heat conductivity; Heat transfer; Hydration; Industrial plant emissions; Insulation; Mineralization; Porosity; Porous materials; Process parameters; Storage capacity; Surfactants; Thermal conductivity; Thermal insulation; China
• ISSN: 1996-1944; 1996-1944
• DOI: 10.3390/ma16072725

Environmental problems caused by large amounts of CO2 generated by coal–electricity integration bases have raised concerns. To solve these problems, this study develops a CO2 foam concrete (CFC) material with both heat insulation and carbon fixation characteristics to realize CO2 in situ storage and utilization. In this study, a Portland-cement-based CO2 foam concrete (PC-CFC) with good thermal insulation performance and carbon fixation ability is prepared using carbonation pretreatment cement and a physical foaming method. The effects of CO2 on the compressive strength, thermal insulation, and carbon fixation properties of PC-CFC are studied. The internal relationship between the compressive strength, thermal insulation, and carbon fixation performance of PC-CFC is analyzed, and the feasibility of PC-CFC as a filling material to realize the in situ mineralization and storage of CO2 in the coal–electricity integration base is discussed. The experimental results show that the compressive strength of PC-CFC is significantly improved by CO2 curing. However, CO2 in the PC-CFC pores may weaken the strength of the pore structure, and the compressive strength decreases by 3.62% for each 1% increase in PC-CFC porosity. Using CO2 as a foaming gas and the physical foaming method to prepare CFC can achieve improved thermal insulation performance. The thermal conductivity of PC-CFC is 0.0512–0.0905 W/(m·K). In addition, the compressive strength of PC-CFC increases by 19.08% when the thermal conductivity of PC-CFC increases by 1%. On the premise of meeting the thermal insulation requirements, PC-CFC can achieve improved compressive strength. The carbon sequestration rate of the PC-CFC skeleton is 6.1–8.57%, and the carbon storage capacity of PC-CFC pores is 1.36–2.60 kg/ton, which has obvious carbon sequestration potential; however, the preparation process and parameters of PC-CFC still require further improvement. The research results show that PC-CFC has great potential for engineering applications and is of great significance for realizing carbon reduction at the coal–electricity integration base.