EAGER: SUSTAINABLE STRUCTURAL BINDERS FROM IRON CARBONATION

EAGER: SUSTAINABLE STRUCTURAL BINDERS FROM IRON CARBONATION The fundamental objective of this EAGER proposal is to evaluate the feasibility of producing sustainable structural binders through the carbonation process of waste/by-product iron powder at room temperature and atmospheric pressure. The underlying premise is that iron powder exposed to CO2 in an aqueous medium can precipitate solid iron carbonate, which can bind the aggregates and provide desired strength and stiffness to the composite. The motivation stems from the multiple environmental advantages that can be gained from iron carbonate-based binder formation the consumption of ordinary portland cement can be reduced through the development of this non-portland cement based matrix for structural concrete applications; land-filling of large amounts of waste iron and steel dust can be eliminated; CO2 released from an existing industrial facility can be sequestered thereby opening up a potential avenue for its sequestration; and the H2 that is released is a potential fuel source.