Effects of CO(2) Concentration and the Uptake on Carbonation of Cement-Based Materials

Carbonation seriously deteriorates the durability of existing reinforced concrete structures. In this study, a thermodynamic model is used to investigate the carbonation reactions in cement-based materials. The effects of the concentration and amounts of CO(2) on the carbonation behaviors of mortar are discussed. The simulation results show that the mechanisms of the carbonation reaction of cement-based materials at different CO(2) concentrations may be different. Nearly all of the hydrate phases have a corresponding CO(2) concentration threshold, above which the corresponding carbonation reaction can be triggered. The thresholds of the C-S-H phases with different Ca/Si ratios are different. The calculation results also show that the phase assemblages in cement paste after being completely air-carbonated, primarily consist of a low-Ca/Si ratio C-S-H, strätlingite, CaCO(3) and CaSO(4). The pH of the pore solution exhibits a significant decrease when a higher Ca/Si ratio C-S-H phase is completely decalcified into a lower Ca/Si ratio C-S-H phase, by increasing the CO(2) uptake. Additionally, the experimental results and the previously published investigations are used to validate the simulation results.