Rapid CO 2 mineralisation of recycled concrete fines by mechanochemical carbonation combined with graphene oxide
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Recycled concrete fines (RCF) are an abundant Ca- and Si-bearing resource, but their use as supplementary cementitious materials is limited by variable composition, high water demand and low reactivity. This paper studies graphene oxide (GO) addition during mechanochemical carbonation of industrial RCF. GO content, liquid-to-solid ratio and treatment duration are examined, as well as the effect of mechanical activation alone. The optimum condition, 0.1 wt.% GO, L/S = 1 and 10 min, achieved 12.3% CO2 uptake and ∼49% carbonation efficiency, compared with 41.7% without GO. Carbonation was rapid, with 86% of uptake reached within 5 min. Mechanochemical carbonation refined particle size and favoured CaCO3 and highly polymerised Si-rich phases formation. At 25% cement replacement, optimised MC-GO0.1 mortars reached 46.2 MPa at 28 days, 83% of the CEM I reference, exceeding untreated, milled-only and GO-free blends. This demonstrates rapid CO2 mineralisation and upgrading of the industrial RCF for lower-carbon cement replacement.
Authors: Lorena Skevi, Wenxin Tang, Cise Unluer
Institution: University of Manchester
Language: English
Subfield: Building and Construction
Field: Engineering
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
OpenAlex ID: W7214930178