15 - An eco-efficient approach to concrete carbonation

Abstract

Carbonation is a major cause of concrete structure deterioration, leading to expensive maintenance and conservation operations. The eco-efficient construction agenda favors the increase of the use of supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs) to reduce Portland cement's consumption and also the use of recycled aggregates concrete (RAC) in order to reduce the consumption of primary aggregates and to avoid landfill disposal of concrete waste. A wide range of literature has been published in the field of concrete carbonation related to the use of SCMs and/or RCA. Fowever, the different conditions used limit comparison, and in some cases contradictory findings are noted. Besides, since most investigations are based on the use of the phenolphthalein indicator, which provides a poor estimate of the real concrete carbonation depth, there is a high probability that past research could have underestimated the corrosion potential associated with concrete carbonation. This chapter reviews current knowledge on concrete carbonation addressing carbonation depth measurement and the use of SCMs and RAC.