Carbonation Curing of Concrete: A Review of CO2 Based Curing Technology

Abstract

Carbonation curing: CO2 curing technology is a crucial technology for cement based material and precast materials which can help in the reduction of carbon impact on the environment . This review evaluates the environmental factors, its structural performance outcome , curing efficiencies and future scops of carbonations curing . Its chemical pathway states that in primary point the Carbon dioxide is reacted with the calcium silicate of concrete ( i. e in fresh form or- demolded (concrete) and an exothermic rex. Takes place and hydrate gel and calcium carbonate forms. These precipitates fills the capillary pores in concrete due to which a microstructure is converted into nanopores and early age compressive strength development is fastened . This document also compares conventional steam curing with the carbonation curing, on the basis of principle, primary agent temperature, reaction , chemistry, operation differences. Also the carbonation curing gives the advantages of lowering the carbon footprint and its practice. This paper also states the uniform treatment, industrial utilization , and on the basis of field condition to access the structural long term stability.

Introduction

The paper investigates Carbonation Curing of Concrete Using Carbon Dioxide (CO?) as an alternative to conventional steam curing. The main objective is to utilize industrially emitted CO?, reduce environmental pollution, accelerate early-age concrete strength development, and improve the mechanical properties of concrete.

Carbonation curing involves exposing fresh concrete to CO?, which reacts with calcium compounds in cement to form stable calcium carbonate (CaCO?). This reaction densifies the concrete microstructure, refines pore structure, and helps improve strength.

The main objectives of the study are to:

• Use CO? as a curing agent for concrete.

• Accelerate early-age hardening and achieve higher early compressive strength.

• Convert CO? into stable carbonate materials.

• Improve the mechanical properties and durability of concrete.

• Reduce curing time and explore an alternative to steam curing.

• Optimize carbonation curing conditions and utilize industrial CO? emissions.

The study explains the chemical reactions involved in carbonation:

• Calcium hydroxide reacts with CO? to form calcium carbonate and water.

• Calcium silicate hydrate (C-S-H) reacts with CO? to produce calcium carbonate and silica-rich gel.

The effectiveness of carbonation curing depends on several factors, including water-cement ratio, CO? pressure, relative humidity, temperature, and curing duration. Proper moisture and moderate humidity are essential because excessive water can restrict CO? penetration. The research indicates that early strength development is particularly significant during the first one to two hours of carbonation curing.

The literature review shows that carbonation-cured concrete can achieve improved compressive strength, lower drying shrinkage, and better resistance to chloride penetration, freeze-thaw damage, and sulphate attack. It can also be applied to precast concrete, concrete blocks, and recycled aggregate concrete.

Comparison Between Carbonation Curing and Steam Curing

Limitations

• Long-term strength development after carbonation may be limited.

• The complete microstructural mechanism is not yet fully understood.

• Performance depends on cement composition and curing conditions.

• Some cement types show limited strength improvement.

• Early strength development may be slower than steam curing in certain conditions.

Conclusion

The conclusion of this study is that it is very important for reducing Carbon Dioxide impact on the environment. In Civil Engineering curing is a factor in which Carbon Dioxide can be reused for increasing the strength of concrete as compared to the concrete cured by steam curing. It also shows that the high early strength of concrete by carbonation curing depends upon the external and internal factors such as; temperature, humidity, pressure, and water cement ratio. Very high temperature can cause the damage of the structure of the concrete. More humidity can slow down the early high compressive strength gain of the concrete e .t .c

References

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Copyright

Copyright © 2026 Ayush Bhardwaj, Aanchal , Dr. Mahesh Kumar Sehra. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.