Algal Biochar-Metal Nanocomposite Particles Tailor the Hydration Kinetics and Compressive Strength of Portland Cement Paste

Xu Chen; Danielle N Beatty; Mohammad G Matar; Huanchun Cai; Wil V Srubar 3rd

doi:10.1021/acssuschemeng.3c06592

Algal Biochar-Metal Nanocomposite Particles Tailor the Hydration Kinetics and Compressive Strength of Portland Cement Paste

ACS Sustain Chem Eng. 2024 Feb 20;12(9):3585-3594. doi: 10.1021/acssuschemeng.3c06592. eCollection 2024 Mar 4.

Authors

Xu Chen^{1

2}, Danielle N Beatty³, Mohammad G Matar¹, Huanchun Cai², Wil V Srubar 3rd^{1

3}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Civil, Environmental, and Architectural Engineering, University of Colorado Boulder, 1111 Engineering Drive ECOT 441 UCB 428, Boulder, Colorado 80309, United States.
² School of Civil and Hydraulic Engineering, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei 430074, China.
³ Materials Science and Engineering Program, University of Colorado Boulder, 4001 Discovery Drive, UCB 027, Boulder, Colorado 80303, United States.

PMID: 38456189
PMCID: PMC10916760 (available on 2025-02-20)
DOI: 10.1021/acssuschemeng.3c06592

Abstract

Biochar can improve the mechanical properties of portland cement paste and concrete. In this work, we produced algal biochar-zinc (biochar-Zn) and algal biochar-calcium (biochar-Ca) nanocomposite particles and studied their effect on the hydration kinetics and compressive strength of cement paste. Results show that 3 wt % biochar-Zn delayed peak heat evolution during cement hydration from 8.3 to 10.0 h, while 3 wt % addition of biochar-Ca induced a minor acceleration of peak heat from 8.3 to 8.2 h. Both biochar-Zn and biochar-Ca nanocomposite particles increased the compressive strength of cement paste at 28 days by 22.6 and 17.0%, respectively. Data substantiate that retardation or minor acceleration of the reaction kinetics was due exclusively to the presence of Zn and Ca phases, respectively, while the enhanced strength was attributed to a nucleation effect induced by such phases and the internal curing effect of biochar.