Work

High-value recycling of industrial solid wastes using mineral carbonation: A review of recent developments

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Mineral carbonation of certain types of industrial wastes allows CO2 sequestration and recycling of the original waste as a new material. These processes require energy input and normally produce relatively low-value products such as aggregates, supplementary cementitious materials and fillers. This paper reviews recent progress in producing higher-value products by mineral carbonation of waste concrete, blast furnace slag, steel slag, coal fly ash, and municipal solid waste incinerator fly ash. Zeolite and nanosized silica are potential higher-value products, while other materials such as superhydrophobic coatings, glass-ceramics, energy storage materials and CaCO3 ceramics have also been produced. The production of higher-value products transforms the economic viability of mineral carbonation. Further work is required to comprehensively evaluate specific applications of carbonation and determine the overall CO2 balance.

Source: Materials Reports Solidwaste and Ecomaterials

DOI: 10.26599/mrse.2026.9520001

Authors: Tiejun Ding, Jionghuang He, Yong Zheng, Long Jiang, Zhenjiang Gu, Zihan Ma

Institutions: Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Imperial College London

Language: English

Topic: CO2 Sequestration and Geologic Interactions

Subfield: Environmental Engineering

Field: Environmental Science

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDGs: Responsible consumption and production, Climate action

Open Access status: hybrid

Funder: Imperial College London