Circular concrete: Sustainable practices through recycling and CO₂ mineralization

The paper explores the development of sustainable practices in the concrete industry, focusing on recycling and CO₂ mineralization. The authors discuss two innovative technologies: selective separation and enforced carbonation. Selective separation recovers high-quality aggregates and sand to replace virgin materials in concrete production, as well as hydrated cement paste from demolished concrete, enhancing the quality and consistency of recycled materials. Enforced carbonation accelerates the natural carbonation process, sequestering CO₂ and transforming recycled concrete paste into a valuable supplementary cementitious material suitable for cement production. These technologies promote a circular economy by reducing waste, conserving natural resources, and lowering CO₂ emissions. The paper emphasizes the potential of these methods to produce concrete with performance matching that of common concrete based on virgin materials, contributing to a more sustainable and environmentally friendly construction industry, and reviews the current stage of the technology development.