Building Materials Research Articles

Turning Waste into Treasure: Utilizing Environment-Pollutant Graphite Tailings as Photocatalyst for Photocatalytic Building Materials

Graphite tailings, as solid waste residuals from graphite extraction and refinement, pose serious risks to the surrounding ecological environment and the safety of residents’ lives. However, it is desirable but challenging how to rationalize the utilization of graphite tailings and further to develop their functionality. Herein, we demonstrate a "turning waste into treasure" strategy: capitalizing on the characteristics of graphite tailings in visible light absorption and rich metal catalytic sites, graphite tailings are employed as photocatalysts and fine aggregates to manufacture photocatalytic building materials, achieving sustainable use. Tailings powder from Luobei, Heilongjiang Province is selected as the photocatalyst, we discover that it exhibits photocatalytic degradation capability for methylene blue (MB) in water under visible-light irradiation: the degradation rates reach 70% within one hour and near-complete degradation within two hours, accompanying good recyclability. Structural analysis reveals that the graphite tailings are enriched with Fe2O3 and TiO2. They are capable of forming type-II heterojunction that enable efficient charge separation and transfer processes, transmitting photogenerated electrons to the active catalytic site to accomplish the photocatalytic degradation of MB. Moreover, other tailings, such as those from Jixi, also achieve photocatalytic degradation of MB, and cement specimens made with graphite tailings also bespoke photocatalytic degradation performance. This work is to provide solutions for the reuse of graphite tailings in the field of functional building materials, and to explore the feasibility of transforming graphite tailings from industrial solid waste to photocatalytic building materials.

Thermal characteristics of cementitious building materials with carbon and PCM for improved heat storage performance

The thermal properties of cementitious building materials were analyzed by integrating phase change materials (PCMs) and carbon materials to improve their heat storage performance. Four types of carbon materials, namely activated carbon (AC), carbon nanotubes (CNT), exfoliated graphite nanoplatelets (xGnPs), and graphene, were dispersed in PCMs and impregnated into artificial lightweight aggregates via vacuum impregnation to create cement building materials. Various parameters including compressive strength, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), hydration heat, thermal conductivity, and dynamic heat transfer were evaluated According to the results, the thermal conductivity of PCM was significantly improved by incorporating carbon materials, and the specimen with CNT showed a result of 0.8386 W/m∙K, which is about 20 % higher than that of the specimen without carbon materials. Although the compressive strength decreased with the addition of PCMs, it remained above 20 MPa, thereby ensuring structural integrity. In the dynamic heat transfer test, the carbon/PCM specimen maintained a higher temperature during heat dissipation. It showed a high peak temperature and a time delay of about 2.5 hours during free cooling. The results showed that integrating PCMs and carbon materials into cementitious building materials could effectively improve their thermal performance, potentially saving building energy.

Review and Measure Winter Thermal Performance in CLT Building: A Case Study on Meldia Research Institute for Advanced Wood

Abstract CLT (Cross Laminated Timber) as a building material could help lower the carbon footprint of construction projects. Thermal performance and comfort in CLT buildings as a place to work are very important for optimizing comfort and work quality using CLT buildings. In winter conditions, measure and review is very necessary to optimize the desired building according to the standard level of comfort when working. The aims of this research is to measure and review indoor thermal comfort of CLT building during winter, with the case study Meldia Research Institute for Advanced Wood, Fukuoka, Kitakyushu. This research method involves measuring indoor temperature intensity in winter to understand how CLT buildings can achieve an optimal balance of thermal comfort. The results of measurements using PMV analysis of both rooms with the HVAC on at a temperature of 22 degrees Celsius are that the PMV value tends from a Slightly warm condition (+1) to a Neutral (0) at each measurement time and at all points. Room 1 has the highest PMV value between slightly cool (-0.5) to Slightly warm (+1), while room 2 has the lowest value between Cool (-2) to Slightly warm (+1). These findings can guide building designers in developing architectural solutions that are sustainable and focus on occupant well-being.

Sustainable practices in construction: Exposing the Potential of Waste as a Resource.

Abstract This paper examines the critical issues facing the construction and demolition industry in the countries of the European Union, with a particular focus on Germany. It presents strategies for waste management and sustainable development goals in construction sector. The construction industry is responsible for a significant proportion of waste production, which underscores the urgency of addressing the impending waste management crisis. The paper highlights the necessity for the implementation of circular-oriented construction practices that prioritize recycling and the reduction of waste, aiming to improve the efficient use of resources in building design and construction. Using a real non-residential building demolition as a case study, the paper outlines specific steps to determine building materials and document demolition procedures. This study presents a variety of selective demolition strategies, with consideration of end-of-life scenarios for materials, including reuse, recycling, and downcycling. The analysis highlights the complexity of the demolition process, emphasizing the necessity for comprehensive evaluation methodologies. By closing the material cycle and prioritizing reuse and recycling, it is possible to achieve sustainable and long-term value retention of building materials. Additionally, methods such as life cycle assessment and material flow analysis for waste streams are introduced. The environmental impact of the demolition of the “Elementum” office building in Munich was analyzed and the CO2 emissions calculated, in relation to transport distances. Results were presented on the reduction in CO2 emissions due to the elimination of transport to landfill and the associated impact on the Life Cycle Assessment. By considering factors such as resource conservation, energy consumption, greenhouse gas emissions, waste generation and pollution, stakeholders can make informed decisions to mitigate negative environmental impacts.

Data-driven bio-integrated design method encoded by biocomputational real-time feedback loop and deep semi-supervised learning (DSSL)

Today, under the imperatives of synthetic biology (Synbio), material-based design strategies are conceived as biofactories that can recapitulate the functionalities of living systems for developing building materials with controllable structural features. These strategies include biofabrication techniques such as vitro-culturing, Fabrication Information Modeling (FIM), growth parametrization, machinery systems, and genetic programming articulated bioproducts as the construction material for low-carbon buildings. However, these biophysical systems need interactive development by data-oriented models and decision-maker tools that can mine, measure, and re-configure the complexity in biological systems through monitoring and controlling in a higher integration toward systemic decision-making solutions. This research presents a real-time feedback loop as the bio-integrated design method for design and fabrication of Gluconacebacter Xylinus (GX) Bacterial Cellulose (BC) with Transfer Learning (TL) and Deep Semi-Supervised Learning (DSSL) through TensorFlow and Keras Python libraries. The loop started by mining datasets from BC growth via the VGG16 pre-trained model. In this stage, the loop can learn the material behavior over the growth process and attribute features to a measured BC thickness. Based on this attribution, the loop can drive real-time classifying of input datasets to thickness-based classes and guide the Region of Interests (ROIs) to a user-designed thickness till the captured features are fitted to the user-input class features. The training results over 8640 images show a 0.001 learning rate, an average loss of 0.18 (540 total steps), an accuracy of 0.706, and a precision of 0.752 for the feature extractor model. For the classifier, a 0.15 average loss (3375 total steps), an accuracy of 0.829, and a precision of 0.712 demonstrate the models' efficiency in pattern recognition and classification. Also, the loop operation persistently exhibits a more than 50% precision rate, displaying the loop's high performance in achieving user-designed 3D shapes. This research aims to a transformative shift in bio-integrated design based on feedback loops as the foundational step towards intelligent bio-digital design platforms. Also, this ground can break designing with biological systems based on desired tasks for the new generation of designers called biodesigners.

Impact of employing phase change material in building wall on energy consumption and thermal comfort level

Energy crises are becoming a problem for many, most of the energy being produced is utilized in buildings. Building design and materials that are used in buildings play a vital role in saving electricity. Sustainable cities are one of the eleventh goal of Sustainable Development Goals to be achieved and this study is in context of SDGs for developing tools to create this globe sustainable and efficient society for humans. Phase change material is a type of material that can absorb and release heat energy as it changes between solid and liquid states. This ability to store and release thermal energy makes PCM a promising material for use in building insulation, Heating Ventilation Air Conditioning Systems, and other energy efficient applications. The use of PCM in buildings has the potential to significantly reduce energy consumption and improve thermal comfort levels. By incorporating PCM into building envelopes, such as walls, roofs, and floors, the material can absorb excess heat during the day and release it at night, helping to regulate indoor temperatures and reduce the need for heating and cooling systems. This study investigates the impact of using PCM in building envelopes. In this regard office building rooms are modelled in CAD software and are simulated in energy plus software. The simulation results are validated by considering the experiment and numerical study as a reference from paper. Model room is simulated for Hyderabad, Pakistan. Building envelopes without PCM have conduction rate of around 106.6 W/m2, whereas building envelopes with PCM have conduction rate around 42 W/m2. This shows that utilization of PCM reduced heat conduction up to around 40%. PCM reduced energy consumption of around 33.25 kWh/year/m2. Results show that without PCM air temperature was above the thermal comfort value. it reached 300C in hot months, it reduced up to 270C with the incorporation of PCM.

Insulation materials for building : dealing with climate change along with other challenges yet to come

Abstract In France, numerous regulations have been enacted to tackle climate change. The initial ones focused on the use phase of buildings, while the last regulation considered both the construction and use phases. Meanwhile, issues such as energy supply and resource scarcity are becoming increasingly important, but no current regulations address these challenges. To go further than climate change, five impact categories are studied: global warming potential, abiotic depletion potential – fossil fuels, consumption of primary non-renewable energy, transport distances, and abiotic depletion potential – elements. These categories are used to rank 11 insulation materials: polyurethane, expanded polystyrene, extruded polystyrene, rock wool, glass wool, hemp concrete, hemp wool, cellulose wadding, straw, semi-rigid wood fiber, and rigid wood fiber. For this purpose, we analyzed 664 Environmental Product Declarations (EPD) from the French EPD database, using a functional unit of 1 m² of insulation with an R-value of 5 m²•K/W. It appears that bio-based materials generally performed better than conventional ones across all five impact categories. However, the ranking based on the five indicators provided a nuanced view of the ranking solely based on the global warming potential and did not significantly alter the overall ranking.

The Potential of Tea Waste and Silica Fume as Partial Replacements for Cement in Bricks

Bricks are widely used building materials made from sand, cement, and water in standard proportions. However, the increasing demand for construction materials that use sand and ordinary Portland cement is leading to the depletion of natural resources. To address this issue, researchers are exploring alternative materials, such as Tea Waste (TW) and Silica Fume (SF), as partial replacements for cement bricks. This study used a mix proportion of 1:2.5 with a certain percentage of replacement materials and 0.5 of a water/cement ratio. The experimental results indicated that when TW and SF were substituted at 5% and 10%, respectively, the compressive strength of the cement bricks was adequate and met the minimum masonry unit requirements of the British Standard. Additionally, the density of the cement bricks (with TW and SF) was lower than that of solid bricks, and the water absorption met the requirements of the British Standard. However, the cement bricks' effective strength-to-weight ratio (s-w ratio) was lower than 1.0, except for the specimens with 5% TW and 10% SF. The optimum mix proportion was the cement brick with 5% TW and 10% SF as it achieved all the industry requirements.

3DP for sustainable built environment – synthesis and thermomechanical characterization of composite materials based on local soil and date palm fiber waste

There is an increasing demand for sustainable construction materials to address the challenges posed by the environmental impact of the built environment (BE), which is driven by climate change, population growth, and urbanization. Conventional construction materials like cement contribute significantly to carbon emissions during production, transport, use, and disposal phases, and their poor thermal conductivity hinders efforts to maintain comfortable indoor environments. To address these challenges, there is an urgent need for innovative, locally sourced thermal insulation materials specifically designed for regions with extreme climates and high energy demands to maintain building comfort. This research explores synthesizing novel, environmentally friendly building materials using locally sourced date palm fiber waste and clay. The study also investigates the developed material's 3D printing (3DP) capabilities and optimizes its printing parameters with lab-scale prototypes. Additionally, thermo-mechanical characterization is conducted to assess its suitability for built environment applications. Different concentrations, from 1 to 5 wt% of date palm fiber to clay ratio (Dpf/C), were studied regarding microstructural, thermal, and mechanical properties, dimensional accuracy, and feasibility for 3DP of BE structures. Results demonstrated a significant reduction in thermal conductivity by 73%, achieving 0.244 W/mK, and an increase in compressive strength by 106%, reaching 10.9 MPa at 5 wt% Dpf/C. The promising thermomechanical properties of these composites and their suitability for 3DP support their use in real-world applications in the future’s sustainable built environment. This scalable methodology can be adapted to regions with similar sustainable local and waste resources, advancing the circular economy.

A fine-segmentation algorithm for XCT images of multiphase composite building materials based on deep learning

In response to the challenges presented by the variable internal structures and complex components of multiphase composite building materials, this study introduces a novel image segmentation network named UT-FusionNet. Building on the U-Net model, UT-FusionNet integrates Transformer module and tensor concatenation and fusion mechanism to overcome the limitations of convolutional networks in relation to the receptive field. UT-FusionNet is employed to segment CT images of conventional concrete, grout consolidation bodies, and fiber-reinforced concrete. The results demonstrate that UT-FusionNet achieves superior segmentation accuracy and robustness, with Accuracy (ACC), Intersection over Union (IoU) and Dice scores exceeding 90 % across all subtasks. The mean accuracy metrics are 99.44 %, 96.70 %, and 98.31 %, respectively. This innovative end-to-end network offers robust support for detailed structural analysis, damage detection, and digital modeling of multiphase composite building materials through deep learning.

Approach to Design Sustainable Alkali-Activated Slag Recycled Aggregate Concrete: Mechanical and Microstructural Characterization

There is a steep increase in demand for concrete as the need for infrastructure is increasing with a rapid increase in urbanization. Consequently, there has been a surging demand for cement across the globe. By using alkaline concrete activated with ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBS), cement usage can be eliminated in concrete, which addresses the issue of CO2 emissions concerned with the cement manufacturing process and promotes the use of industrial by-products as sustainable building materials. The current study focuses on proposing a methodology to design sustainable GGBS-based alkali-activated concrete incorporated with 100% coarse recycled coarse aggregates (RCA) recovered from construction and demolition (C&D), for various strengths by optimizing the mix proportions and verifying the same through experiments. From the current study, it is evident that this mix design procedure can be adopted to design alkali-activated slag recycled aggregate concrete (AASRAC) mixes for strengths ranging from 44MPa to 85MPa. The optimum values of alkalinity factor (λ) and NaOH concentration (M) i.e., 1.5 and 12, have a significant role in the development of high strengths which is attributed to the formation of hydrotalcite. Micrographs captured using scanning electron microscope (SEM) and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) studies reveal that the alkaline binders promote the development of a denser and stronger interfacial transition zone (ITZ) that enhances the strength of lower AA/B concretes at the microstructural level as Ca/Si ratio is higher for lower AA/B concretes. Global warming potential (GWP) analysis reveals that the alkali-activated concretes have significantly lower GWP compared to conventional OPC-based concrete by approximately 2.5 times. The mix-design chart proposed in this study may pave the way to designing structural grade AASRAC with enhanced performance for the desired strength, which may find its application in fast-track construction and manufacturing of prefabricated elements.

Natural geometrical variations of Italian Phyllostachys edulis bamboo culms for construction purposes

Amid the increasing scarcity of raw materials, utilizing bamboo as a renewable building material offers significant environmental and economic benefits for the European construction sector. However, in Europe, the use of bamboo for construction remains limited due to a lack of studies on geometrical and material characteristics of European-cultivated bamboo species. Although bamboo is not typically grown in Europe, the number of bamboo plantations is steadily increasing in countries like Spain, France and Italy. Bamboos growing in temperate climates, however, are exposed to different environmental conditions during growth compared to bamboos from subtropical and tropical climates, such as those in China or Vietnam. As bamboo’s geometric properties are strongly influenced by the environmental conditions during growth, it is essential to investigate how bamboo culms of the same species grown in Europe compare to those from other regions. The present article reports findings on the geometry and geometric imperfections of 90 four-meter Italian bamboo culms. First, the Italian Phyllostachys edulis bamboo culms examined in this study are briefly introduced. Following, geometric imperfections of bamboo culms are defined, and the geometry measurement concept is presented. Subsequently, variations in internode lengths, diameters, wall thicknesses, ovalities, stem tapers and pre-deflections are described and analyzed. Finally, the findings from the Italian culms are compared with those from Asian Phyllostachys edulis. In summary, this article enhances the understanding of the geometric properties of bamboo grown in Europe, thereby advancing the use of cultivated bamboo culms in Europe and improving the overall understanding of bamboo characteristics across different climatic zones.

The hygric properties of cement mortar with salt spray deposition

Many buildings along the coast are exposed to the salt spray climate, but the hygric behavior of porous building materials under the influence of salt crystallization are unclear. In this study, an accelerated salt spray test was conducted on cement mortar. For samples with different salt spray cycles, chloride ion content was measured and saturated moisture content (wsat), open porosity (po) and apparent density (ρb) were obtained by a vacuum saturation test, while capillary absorption coefficient (Acap) and capillary moisture content (wcap) were determined from capillary absorption tests using innovative methods. Additionally, the pore characteristics and micromorphology of the samples were examined and analyzed using a mercury intrusion porosimeter (MIP) and a scanning electron microscope (SEM). The results indicate that a large amount of deposited salt crystals mainly clogs pores with a diameter of 0.02 to 0.12 μm, resulting in a 18.7 % decrease in po as well as a 30 % decrease in Acap and a 17.4 % decrease in wcap subjected to 35 salt spray cycles. This finding supports a deeper understanding of fluid moisture absorption and transfer in building envelope materials in coastal areas.

Radiological Risk Assessment of Building Materials Used in Federal College of Education (Technical) Akoka, Lagos State, Nigeria

Multiple building constructions necessitating a regular influx of different soils for building purposes within Federal College of Education (Technical) Akoka, in Lagos State, Nigeria spurred a radiological risk assessment of selected soil samples. Five (5) construction points were identified and ten (10) soil samples were collected. A gamma spectrometer was used to evaluate the natural radionuclides (226Ra, 232Th, and 40K) present in the soils. IAEA-certified standard materials of RGU-1, RGTh-1, and RGK-1 were used to determine the full peak efficiencies of gamma energies 609, 1120, and 1764 keV for 238U, 2614 keV for 232Th and 1460 keV for 40K. Activity concentration, absorbed dose, annual effective dose equivalent, hazard indices, and excess lifetime cancer risk (ELCR) were estimated to assess possible radiological risks in the building soil samples. Results from the analysis revealed the highest radioactivity among soil samples was 674.3 Bq/kg from 40K and the lowest was 18.5 Bq/kg from 226Ra. The absorbed dose (D) varies from 65.8 nGy/h to 215.3 nGy/h with an average value of 136.6 nGy/h, and the annual effective dose equivalent ranged from 0.081 mSv/y to 0.264 mSv/y with an average value 0.168 mSv/y. The internal and external hazard index ranged from 0.49 −1.46 and 0.39 − 1.32 respectively which is not completely below the hazard index threshold value ≤ 1 as recommended by UNSCEAR. The ELCR values ranging from 0.222 × 10-3 − 0.726 × 10-3 with an average value of 0.461 × 10-3 predicted an insignificant carcinogenic risk with the probability of four persons in every 10,000 persons.

A simple device to simulate the radon vertical migration in soil

The knowledge of the soil radon levels is important for the planning and construction of new buildings in order to estimate the radon risk and to classify the ground for construction purposes. A simple device was developed to simulate the vertical migration of radon in soil. The device simulates the vertical migration of radon in two different cases. The first case: simulates radon vertical migration in soil in a natural environment. The top of the device is open, while the around and bottom are sealed. The second case: simulates the vertical migration of radon in soil under the surface of a concrete floor. The device is sealed all around, including the top and bottom. A total of two sets of experiments were conducted in this study, each set of experiments simulated the migration of radon under two different cases. According to the research results, the potential radon concentration under the concrete floor is much higher than the natural potential radon concentration. Therefore, this factor must be fully considered when selecting the building materials and designing radon protection materials.

Innovative robotic-woven willow-clay-composite ceiling elements

Abstract The construction sector contributes 36% to global final energy use and 39% to energy-related CO2 emissions. Consequently, it is imperative to focus on quantifying and reducing environmental impacts e.g., via renewable building materials. The combination of fast-growing willow as tension reinforcement for regionally available and compression bearing clay seems a promising approach. The new attempt is based on the idea of full circularity, as the willow clay composite modules are in the first loop dismountable and can be rearranged and reused for another life cycle. When the composite material comes to its end-of-life, the materials can be theoretically fully recovered. To assess the environmental sustainability of such an innovative composite structure for the first time, a simplified cradle to grave Life Cycle Assessment is performed. The investigation is based on experimental data of the 1 to 1 scale robotically woven willow-clay-composite ceiling demonstrator. First results reveal hot spots, especially in the supply chain of the prototype production process but compared to conventional steel concrete ceiling, the innovative biobased composite is capable to function as a CO2 sink over the entire life cycle. In addition, the resource problem of timber could be circumvented accordingly.

Enhancing building material circularity: A systematic review on prerequisites, obstacles and the critical role of data traceability

Enhancing building material circularity: A systematic review on prerequisites, obstacles and the critical role of data traceability

Design strategy of super tough hydrophobic bamboo framework composites with internal network entanglement reinforcing structure

The low strength and high hygroscopicity of natural bamboo limit its use in structural building materials. Herein, lignin and hemicellulose were partially removed from natural bamboo in order to create bamboo frameworks featuring well-aligned bamboo fibers. Subsequently, these bamboo frameworks (BF) are infused with epoxy resin (EP) modified with PDMS and subjected to hot-pressing to fabricate bamboo-epoxy composites (PDMS-EP/BF). The incorporation of flexible PDMS chains facilitated intermolecular chain entanglement, which inhibited crack propagation and improved the bonding between bamboo and EP. The findings of the research indicated that the PDMS-EP/BF composites exhibited a significant enhancement in flexural strength by 98%, modulus of elasticity by 129%, toughness by 399%, and tensile strength by 177% when compared to natural bamboo. Additionally, the modification led to a decrease in the surface energy of the composites, resulting in increased hydrostatic contact angle and imparting water repellency to the material. Compared to natural bamboo, PDMS-EP/BF has 309% higher water contact angle and 143% lower surface energy. In addition, large composites have been prepared and their interface strength was tested. The findings of the study offer insights into the potential enhancement of bamboo composites to achieve increased flexural strength, modulus, and toughness. This could expand the utilization and significance of bamboo in the realm of construction materials.

Construction of hydrophobic HKUST-1 in wood with selective adsorption performance for toluene and moisture blends

The effect of moisture on the volatile organic compound (VOC) adsorption on biomass-derived metal–organic framework composites is significant in practical applications. In this study, wood-based metal organic frameworks (MOF199-W) and hydrophobic MOF199-W (HMOF199-W) were developed using HKUST-1 (MOF199) and long alkyl chains to investigate the adsorption performance of toluene and enhance the selectivity of adsorption under high humidity conditions. The results demonstrated that HKUST-1 could be anchored onto the surface of wood vessels and fibers through coordination with Cu2+, resulting in an improved surface area in comparison to natural wood. The toluene adsorption capacity of MOF199-W with a 20 % loading was comparable to that of an equivalent amount of MOF199, with adsorption capacities of 323.5 mg/g and 369.9 mg/g, respectively. Further, the Yoon-Nelson model was found to adequately describe the dynamic adsorption process. Following the introduction of long alkyl chains, MOF199 and MOF199-W were endowed with strong hydrophobic character (water contact angle of 107.0◦, 104.0◦, and water uptake of 30.5 mL/g, 55.3 mL/g). With the increase in humidity, the adsorption performance of MOF199 and MOF199-W for toluene sharply decreased, but HMOF199 and HMOF199-W still maintained the adsorption capacities at 304.7 mg/g and 226.7 mg/g, even under 80 % RH conditions. Therefore, HMOF199-W has shown great potential in wooden building materials with the ability for toluene capture under humid conditions.

Developing sustainable steel slag-based aerated concrete: Effects of accelerated carbonation on performance and carbon emissions

This research undertakes an in-depth examination of the properties of carbonated steel-slag aerated concrete (CSSAC), the mineral composition and microstructure were characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), life cycle assessment (LCA) also employed for evaluating its environmental impacts. Results revealed that a strength of 6.6 MPa and a dry density of 958 kg/m3 for CSSAC was achieved through carbonation curing, utilizing a 30 vol% CO2 concentration at ambient pressure for a duration of 24 h. Nonetheless, elements such as high water-solid ratio, cement content, and foaming agent content were found to negatively affect the strength development. Furthermore, the overuse of lime as a cement substitute formed a dense pore structure on the surface layer, consequently lowering CO2 sequestration efficiency. It was found that compressive strength was enhanced and water absorption was reduced by 66 % with calcium stearate, through effective pore structure optimization. Significantly, the carbon footprint of CSSAC stood at a minimal 0.0673 kg∙CO2∙eq/kg, achieving a substantial 73.36 % reduction when compared with its original carbon footprint. This adoption of carbonation curing effectively mitigated the carbon footprint of the product, offering actionable insights for the manufacturing of zero-carbon and even negative-carbon building materials.