Potential for carbon adsorption on concrete: surface XPS analyses.

The concrete industry is a contributor to the global carbon cycle particularly with respect to the contribution of carbon dioxide in the manufacturing of cement (calcination). The reverse reaction of carbonation is known to occur in concrete, but is usually limited to exterior surfaces exposed to carbon dioxide and humidity in the air. As alternate concrete uses expand which have more surface area, such as crushed concrete for recycling, it is important to understand surface adsorption of carbon dioxide and the positive impacts it might have on the carbon cycle. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) is used in this study to evaluate carbon species on hydrated cement mortar surfaces. Initial estimates for carbon absorption in concrete using othertechniques predictthe potential for carbonate species to be a fraction of the calcination stoichiometric equivalent The XPS results indicate that there is a rapid and substantial uptake of carbon dioxide on the surfaces of these mortars, sometimes exceeding the calcination stoichiometric equivalents, indicative of carbon dioxide surface complexation species. On pure calcite, the excess is on the order of 30%. This accelerated carbon dioxide surface adsorption phenomenon may be importantfor determining novel and effective carbon sequestration processes using recycled concrete.

Permeability predictions for sand-clogged Portland cement pervious concrete pavement systems.

Pervious concrete is an alternative paving surface that can be used to reduce the nonpoint source pollution effects of stormwater runoff from paved surfaces such as roadways and parking lots by allowing some of the rainfall to permeate into the ground below. This infiltration rate may be adversely affected by clogging of the system, particularly clogging or covering by sand in coastal areas. A theoretical relation was developed between the effective permeability of a sand-clogged pervious concrete block, the permeability of sand, and the porosity of the unclogged block. Permeabilities were then measured for Portland cement pervious concrete systems fully covered with extra fine sand in a flume using simulated rainfalls. The experimental results correlated well with the theoretical calculated permeability of the pervious concrete system for pervious concrete systems fully covered on the surface with sand. Two different slopes (2% and 10%) were used. Rainfall rates were simulated for the combination of direct rainfall (passive runoff) and for additional stormwater runoff from adjacent areas (active runoff). A typical pervious concrete block will allow water to pass through at flow rates greater than 0.2 cm/s and a typical extra fine sand will have a permeability of approximately 0.02 cm/s. The limit of the system with complete sand coverage resulted in an effective system permeability of approximately 0.004 cm/s which is similar to the rainfall intensity of a 30 min duration, 100-year frequency event in the southeastern United States. The results obtained are important in designing and evaluating pervious concrete as a paving surface within watershed management systems for controlling the quantity of runoff.